


An early escape

by Greyriver20



Category: Force awakens - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Canon Divergence, Daddy Issues, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Family Reunions, Force Ghost Anakin, Force Ghost(s), Grief/Mourning, Healing, Hostage Situations, Journey of abuse survivors, Karma’s a bitch Anakin, Mental Health Issues, Mind Manipulation, Mommy Issues, Physical Abuse, Skywalker Drama, Solo sass, Visions, better life choices, injury and recover, reluctant allies
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-14
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2020-05-07 18:00:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 130,155
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19214641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greyriver20/pseuds/Greyriver20
Summary: A reminder of the past causes Snoke to lose his hold on Kylo Ren, who is forced to flee. His only way out is to follow a defecting stormtrooper and an escaped prisoner.~‘Okay, so this half-baked plan of yours might actually work. I’m impressed,’ a voice boomed through the ship. ‘Truly, I am. However, you may have noticed we are still attached to the hangar. Want me to fix that?’FN-2187 turned to the source of the voice and let out a string of curses and obscenities that were without debate against the code of conduct. Ren let it pass while he sat cross-legged on the floor in the small space between the gunner’s seat and the wall, with his helmet in his lap.‘Maybe you should say that a little louder. I don’t think they heard you out there.’ ~orAn intense, galactic game of hide-and-seek between father and son.





	1. Ghosts from the past

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> redid this chapter (again). No changes in the plot.

‘Show me the way. The light is calling me again and I don’t know if I can resist it. Supreme leader can sense it.’

The mangled helmet, the last of his grandfather’s remains stayed as silent as it had for years. Only once had he spoken and never again. Perhaps Supreme leader was right and he was yet unworthy. Still, that problem would be more efficiently solved if someone would tell what was the issue and how to solve it. So far, he was left to guess why he was left ignored. Unthinking, he touched the metal object in his pocket. He should’ve already done away with it.

‘Good, listen to the light. That’s the way.’

Kylo sprung to his feet and ignited his lightsaber, swiftly turning for the source of the voice. A man stood in the middle of his chambers, engulfed in an odd blue light. He cursed his own carelessness for letting a stranger sneak up on him like that. ‘What’s your business here?’

The man blinked as if he were the one taken by surprise. He seemed to be unarmed and unprepared to defend. ‘Finally, we’re getting somewhere.’

He raised his lightsaber at the stranger. ‘Who are you? Answer me.’

‘Take a guess.’

He wasn’t in for any games. With a single stroke, he sliced through the intruder. But he found no resistance and did no damage.

The intruder simply crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. ‘Is that your answer to everything?’

It was only then he noticed, the man wasn’t engulfed in light, but consisted of it and was all but transparent. A hologram. No one had snuck up on him. This was some sort of trick with unclear motive. He lowered his lightsaber. ‘Who are you and what’s your business here?’

‘You already know who I am. You should be able to sense the connection. As for my business here, just to tell you this. Do not make the same mistakes I have, my grandson.’ Without as much as a flicker, he vanished.

 

* * *

 

A chorus of blaster fire and screams surrounded FN-2187. Finally reaching his injured ally, he crouched down behind the wall the other trooper lay against. He shook him, tried to pull him up. All to no avail. It was too late.

The other reached out his hand, trying to grasp whatever hold-on he could find. His life left him and his bloodied hand slid down FN-2187’s helmet. The other troopers had laughed at him during training, saying he wouldn’t last a minute on a real battlefield. They were cruelly proven right.

He moved, leaving his fallen ally. If he stayed still, either the opponent would kill him or his own side. The smell of blood, fire and death filled his nose, making his stomach turn inside out. He found cover at the edge of the battlefield and stayed there, doing his best to appear as if he was waiting for an opening. By the time the battle died down, he hadn’t fired his blaster once.

A command ship touched down and General Hux emerged, conveniently after the battle had ended. A single prisoner was picked from villagers gathered in the village centre. Hux looked down at the man and began asking questions.

FN-2187 joined formation just in time to see Hux turn bright red. The prisoner just smiled.

Phasma approached the scene, addressing Hux. ‘Where’s Ren?’

‘I’ve been given full command of this operation, by orders of the Supreme Leader,’ he hissed. ‘You will answer to me.’

‘Yes, Sir,’ Phasma said. ‘What of the prisoners?’

Hux turned back to the prisoner in front of him with a triumphant smile. ‘That will depend on you, old man. Hand over the map or you will have the blood of all of them on your hands.’

‘That blood will be on your hands,’ the man answered. ‘The map is long gone.’

‘You speak the truth, I see,’ Hux’s face darkened. ‘Then you’re of no more use.’

With a single shot, he killed the old man. But his full command was almost cut short by blasterbolt flying for his head. The only thing saving his life was Phasma yanking him to the ground.

A lone figure was dragged out of the shadows from the origin of the shot. Hux scrambled up, dusting off his clothes. His triumphant look returned when he saw the new prisoner. ‘I believe we know where the map went. This one is resistance.’

‘Ah, you remember me?’ The prisoner returned the smile. ‘How touching. Tell me, ever repaired that cannon?’

‘Bring him aboard,’ Hux ordered. ‘And clean up here. Don’t leave a single witness.’

‘Very well,’ Phasma said. She ordered two troopers to escort the prisoner then turned to the rest. ‘On my signal!

FN-2187 took a shooting stance, along with the rest. He raised his blaster, along with the rest. He aimed, along with the rest.

‘Shoot!’

As the only one, he didn’t pull the trigger. He wouldn’t do this. They couldn’t make him. He wouldn’t kill for them.

 

* * *

  
  


By the time he stepped back unto the cruiser, FN-2187 was shaking in his boots. He pulled his helmet off, finally able to breathe. The bloody handprint of his dead ally smudged over it. The last trace of a soldier who never had a real name, whose existence would be forgotten.

He leaned against the wall. Someone must’ve noticed, must have seen, he hadn’t fired a single shot. To top it off, Snoke’s mothership had been floating over the cruiser. He sincerely hoped the honours weren’t for him. Although, he doubted Snoke made time for wayward stormtroopers.

‘FN-2187,’ Phasma came stomping around the corner. ‘Who gave you permission to take off your helmet?’

‘Apologies.’

  
‘Have your blaster admitted for inspection,’ she ordered. ‘Report to SG-2745 afterward. Supreme leader requires assistance.’  
Great, he would be exactly where they would want him when they were done inspecting his blaster.

 

* * *

 

Kylo had searched every accessible inch for the origin of the hologram but found nothing. Which only meant it had to be well hidden. Anyone who thought they would confuse him with cheap tricks would find themselves sorely mistaken.

‘Cooled down yet?’

He drew his lightsaber, turning to find the same stranger looking at him, consisting of the same transparent blue light.

‘I believe we’ve ascertained that does not work.’ He smiled down the lightsaber, rightfully perceiving it as no threat.

‘Impostor,’ Kylo bit, deactivating his lightsaber as he realised it made him look like an idiot. He had resolved to simply ignore the hologram if it were to reappear. However, a single fact stopped him from doing so. This creature, although it had no pulse, breathe or any other sign of a living body, had the mind and energy of a sentient being. Not only that, the Force gathered around with an intensity he had rarely seen before, creating a ring of heat.

‘I’m no impostor.’ He shook his head. ‘But if you’re so certain I am, what do you have to fear? I can harm you no more than you can harm me.’

He clenched his jaw, determined not to fall for any mind games. ‘My grandfather has spoken to me and he did not sound like you. I’d advise you stop wasting my time.’

‘Very well then,’ he said. ‘I will just tell you this. I was wrong. I was a fool to turn to the dark side. I thought it would give me the power to save what I loved, but it only ever brings destruction. I betrayed all I ever stood for and the universe suffered for it. Do not make the same mistakes. Do not let rage and fear control you. Go home.’

‘Liar,’ Kylo said, hating how his voice wavered with doubt. ‘Why come only now? Why not six years ago?’

His eyes fell to the ground. ‘I tried, but I could not reach you. Only now, your mind has cleared enough for you to perceive me.’

‘No, you’re lying. You have to be lying.’

‘I told you nothing but the truth,’ he faded away. ‘Be careful, my grandson.’

Kylo was left to stare at the spot he had been standing.. His grandfather had been the champion of the dark side, bringer of order, peace and security, having only fallen victim to a moment of weakness. Supreme Leader had told him so many times and now, he was faced with another truth. A knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

‘Sir?’

‘What is it?’ He demanded, walking to the door.

‘Supreme Leader wishes to speak with you, Sir.’

‘Very well,’ he answered. ‘I will contact him.’

‘Immediately, Sir,’ the voice on the other side said. ‘And in person.’

‘Impossible. I have to depart for the mission within the hour.’

‘Sir,’ the voice said with more than a twinge of unease. ‘The mission has already been completed in your absence. The command was transferred to General Hux.’

That couldn’t be good. Usually, when things were done behind your back around here, you were about to be screwed. Most definitely if Hux was involved. Even more so if Snoke wanted to speak to you in person. He opened the door. ‘Did Supreme Leader say what was so urgent?’

The two stormtroopers, FN-2187 and SG-2745, jumped up at his emergence. Even with their helmets on, it was quite obvious they’d rather be anywhere else. FN-2187 stammered. ‘No, Sir. Just that it was urgent.’

At that moment, Kylo realised he had left his own helmet on the table, thus adding to the soldiers’ unease. At least, it served that part of his purpose, even indirectly. ‘How far away is the _Supremacy_?’

‘Within range, Sir.’

Even worse. Snoke rarely came close to a battlefield unless his personal intervention was required. Said intervention usually involved him and was never a pleasant experience. ‘Prepare my ship. I’ll be leaving immediately.’

‘Uh, Sir,’ Sg-2745 said. ‘We have direct orders to escort you. Orders from Supreme Leader Snoke.’

‘Very well, then.’ He pushed past them. ‘Let’s not keep him waiting.’

There could only be one reason for Snoke to have come all this way. He had sensed what had happened, either the apparition or the secret he had been keeping for days.

 ‘Leave us.’ Supreme Leader dismissed the stormtroopers. They left at once, leaving Kylo alone to face Snoke. The praetorian guards stood along the wall, watching his every move even more than usual.

‘You summoned me?’ He knelt down, already regretting having left his mask. Lying to Snoke was difficult enough with his face concealed and his voice deformed. Now, he had two secrets to guard that might very well constitute betrayal.

‘I’m sure you know why, my apprentice,’ Snoke furrowed his brow, in what might as well have been concern as it could’ve been a warning.

‘I was removed from the mission,’ he said. ‘Why was that?’

‘Ah, yes.’ Snoke stood. Compassion laced his voice, but rarely had compassion softened his judgment. ‘I did not believe you had an adequate state of mind to carry it out. I’m sure you know why that is.’

Shivers ran down his spine. ‘I do not, Supreme Leader.’

Snoke approached him, tracing a finger across his cheek. ‘I removed you from such vital a mission and you can’t think of a single reason?’

‘I don’t.’ he resisted the urge to get away, to run and hide.

‘I sensed great distress in you.’ He shook his head. Either disapproval for his secrecy or for his weakness. ‘Tell me, what troubles you?’

‘It is nothing.’

Snoke’s hand moved away from his cheek and came back down with force. ‘Do you take me for a fool. Do you think I would’ve come for nothing?’

‘Of course not.’ The taste of blood filled his mouth while he recovered himself from the blow.

When he dared look up, Snoke’s face softened. ‘What don’t you show me what you’ve found?’

A mixture of dread and relief went through him. It was the lesser of two secrets. He took the golden dice from his pocket. Weeks ago, a bounty hunter had handed them over as proof he had captured Han Solo and his crew. Whether or not that was true in the first place, there had been no prisoners when Hux’s troops had arrived. ‘It’s a meaningless trinket.’

‘And yet, you still have it.’ Snoke stated. ‘What am I to make of that?’

Time had taught him that was a dangerous question. ‘Nothing. It was a mistake. It won’t happen again.’

‘You let this trinket plant doubt in you.’ Snoke reached out and took hold of the back of his neck, forcing Kylo to look him in the eye. ‘Your resolve is fading. You’re allowing your family to influence you, all because of a trinket. And worst of all, you concealed it from me, tried to deceive me.’

‘I swear, it was just a mindless mistake, a fleeting weakness.’ He fought to keep the memory of the conversation he’d just had out of his mind. ‘I will not give into it.’

Snoke’s fingers dug into his skin. ‘What else are you hiding from me? After all I’ve done for you, you defy me? You know I can take whatever I want.’

Instead of revealing the betrayal of having spoken to the apparition, of having entertained the possibility of it being the truth, he focussed his mind on the memory of his parents and the doubt they had indeed planted in his mind. It would satisfy Snoke.

‘See now.’ Snoke’s grip eased. ‘That wasn’t so difficult, was it?’

‘I will overcome it,’ Kylo said. ‘I just need time.’

‘You are becoming weak, crippled by your own doubt,’ Snoke said. ‘Have you forgotten they’d thought you nothing but a monster? How they would’ve murdered you in your sleep? For them, you tried to deceive me?’

‘I’ll never forget,’ he bit, jerking his head up. ‘They’ll pay for it.’

‘Good, good, there it is,’ Snoke bared his teeth. ‘Your anger. Your pain. Those are what make you strong. Alas, you are becoming sentimental. Such a waste of your potential.’

‘No, I swear, with your guidance, I will overcome it.’

‘I trust you will.’ He smiled, gesturing at the praetorian guards. ‘Here, let me help you.’

‘What? no.’ Kylo struggled in vain while the guards pushed him down, twisting his arms so he couldn’t move and tore away the static-deflecting fabric of his cloak. ‘No, don’t. Please, I-.’

White-hot pain shot through the skin on his back. He gasped as the edges of his vision blurred. Electricity crackled in his ears.

‘This pains me as well, my young apprentice, but I have no other choice.’ Snoke’s voice echoed far away. ‘You must never forget, it was your father who caused you this pain.’

One after another, pangs of agony hit his back until the world turned into a sea of white. The red guards didn’t need to hold him down anymore. When it finally ended, the stormtroopers that had brought him, dragged him away again. But not a second through it all had he released the golden dice clutched between his fingers.

 


	2. crashing on the way out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> redid this one too.

That Ren wasn’t going to have a good day was a dead giveaway, but this was insane. The supreme leader sat on his high and mighty throne, looking rather bored at the sight of Kylo Ren being a burned heap on the floor. ‘Escort my apprentice back to his chambers.’

FN-2187 dearly hoped the guy wasn’t reading his mind or something. If this was what he did to his apprentice, what would he do to traitor stormtroopers?

He crouched down to see if Ren was at all conscious, which wasn’t the case. It wouldn’t be all too surprising if the man had died. The clothing on his back had been all but burned away and blood seeped into what little fabric remained. As for the skin underneath, it was safe to say there was not much more left of that. His stomach twisted into a knot at the mere sight of it.

Without thinking, he grabbed the cloak lying a small distance away. He felt the eyes of the supreme leader burning through him while he did. With the undeniable feeling it wasn’t appreciated and he should really get out of sight, he hurried to help SG-2745 lift Ren off the floor. They had to drag him as the man wouldn’t stand on his own.

Even though FN-2187 was well aware of what Ren could do to him if he were ever to discover the plan brewing in his head, it was a relief to notice he was still breathing and his eyes had darted open at being moved.

As soon as they were out of the door, FN-2187 stopped and tossed the cloak over the wounds. Remembering his medical aid training, he made sure not to cause friction over what were no doubt burns from superficial electricity exposure. SG-2745 held up Ren by herself meanwhile, and impatiently so even though she hadn’t for a second glanced at the wounds herself.

FN-2187 moved back to assist her. Together, they brought Ren back to the transport they had come in. Every single head they passed on the way turned to stare. All in varying degrees of terror and astonishment, and even frequent satisfaction, at seeing the fearsome Kylo Ren dragged through the hallways like a defective droid.

If Snoke had wanted to set an example, he had succeeded wonderfully. Whatever Ren had done, no one would be thinking about doing it anytime soon. FN-2187 felt both dread and pride in the possibility he had inadvertently thwarted Snoke’s plan, if even just a little, by covering up the extent of Ren’s injuries.

Having reached the transport, they dropped Ren on the nearest seat. FN-2187 prevented him from falling with his back against the chair. Instead, Ren now collapsed forward, with his elbows on his knees. His eyes were wide open, but stared aimlessly at the opposite wall. FN-2187 moved the cloak aside, dropping it when he saw the injuries again. How had Snoke managed to do that within the fifteen minutes they’d waited outside?

Without warning, Ren grabbed his wrist and squeezed it. FN-2187 moved the cloak back with his free hand and sat down in the next seat instead of tearing his wrist loose. He hadn’t thought Ren was conscious, but now he really looked, he was sure he saw fear in the man’s unfocused eyes. ‘Hey, can you hear me?’

To his surprise, Ren responded by jerking his head toward him and moving his mouth, although making no sound. FN-2187 thought he was trying to say _Help me._ He hadn’t thought the man capable of being afraid, but he sure couldn’t blame him for it.

‘Get him up,’ SG-2745 said, having been all the way to the other side of the passenger space. Her voice sounded odd. She was no doubt taken aback, if not disgusted, by the scene she’d just witnessed. Soldiers weren’t supposed to show pity, especially not toward their superiors. ‘We’re there.’

He hadn’t even noticed they’d reached the hangar, but sure enough, the ramp opened up to let them out. Ren offered neither assistance or resistance at being dragged back to his feet, although he could still barely stand.

They moved faster now and had fewer corridors to cross, yet no fewer eyes turned to them while they did. It was unsettling but not unexpected to see, how few of the countless pairs of eyes they passed showed actual concern, even though there was no doubt Ren had worked with plenty of them.

After what seemed like forever, they put Ren down on his bed. FN-2187 removed the cloak and pushed the remainder of the fabric underneath out of the wounds as well as he could in the few seconds he had before SG-2745 would become suspicious. He wondered out loud. ‘Should we get a medic?’

‘Not our problem. Don’t get involved,’ she shrugged and left without looking back.

FN-2187 threw one last glance at Ren. He had never seen the man’s face before, but he could tell he was alarmingly pale. His eyes were still filled with fear, pleading. Leaving him behind caused a pit in his stomach, but there was nothing he could do for the man. His plan was already strung together with desperation and for all he knew, Ren would consider him a traitor for even thinking about it.

He had pulled enough attention to himself and his blaster could come back from inspection any moment now. It was time to get out of here. That prisoner from Jakku had better know how to fly.

 

* * *

 

Every breath hurt, making his skin stretch or perhaps tear. He couldn’t tell, he didn’t even know whether there was skin left at all. He couldn’t begin to try looking, barely able to lift his head from the pillow.

‘You must understand, he’s only using you.’ His grandfather sat on his bedside, no longer appearing as just a hologram. The blue light that shaped him now seemed nearly solid. ‘He has no concern for you.’

‘Supreme Leader is wise,’ Kylo monotonously repeated the old dogma. It now seemed as hollow as he made it sound.

‘No wise person would do something like this,’ he said as he brushed away the strand stuck to Kylo’s forehead and proceeded to stroke the rest of his hair. The touch was unexpectedly solid and strangely soothing, distracting him from the pain. ‘Hurting those under your care doesn’t make anyone wise. It just proves they value control more then they value their people.’

‘Oh,’ Kylo joked. ‘Someone changed their minds.’

‘I already told you I was a fool for turning to the dark side,’ he sighed, letting his hand rest on Kylo’s head. ‘I did value control more than anything else. I was wrong for that, so wrong. And what Snoke did to you is wrong all the same.’

‘He’s making me strong.’ Kylo had intended to shout, but it came out as no more than a whisper.

‘No, he’s trying to break your will. To turn you into a weapon he can use however and whenever he wants, but make no mistake.’ His hand moved to lightly stroke the sore spot Snoke had left on his cheek. ‘He will destroy you once you outlived your purpose. Don’t let it get that far.’

‘You were the one to make the mistake,’ Kylo argued. ‘You made a mistake when you turned away from the dark side. That’s when you threw away everything you fought for.’

‘But was that worth fighting for to begin with?’ His eyes softened. ‘We can never truly be sure what we do is the right thing to do. Only time will tell, but stay here and you will never find out for yourself.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Snoke’s losing his grip on you and he knows it. Even I can sense it,’ Grandfather said. ‘It won’t be long before he decides you no longer serve your purpose. You have to leave.’

‘I can’t,’ Kylo sighed. ‘Not anymore. It’s too late.’

‘It’s never too late,’ he said. ‘And you know I speak the truth. If you stay, you will not survive.’

‘Even so, what should I do?’ Kylo laughed weakly. ‘Jump into the nearest TIE-fighter and hope no one’ll notice?’

‘You would not have the strength to do so unaided in your current condition,’ Grandfather said. ‘However, you’re not the first today to think up such a plan.’

‘What idiot would-?’

‘That soldier just now, you must’ve sensed his fear.’

‘FN-2187,’ Kylo recalled. Even though his mind was densely clouded by the pain and the memory of how it was inflicted, waves of sheer panic had broken through, originating from the stormtrooper that had given him back his cloak. ‘He’s going to try something.’

‘Not the most sophisticated plan, but a proof of courage nonetheless,’ he nodded. ‘Although, a little sophistication wouldn’t have hurt.’

‘Maybe he’ll be so kind to let me tag along,’ Kylo joked. ‘If he doesn’t get shot down or blown up first, that is.’

‘Perhaps he would,’ Grandfather said. ‘But I fear there is no time to ask. His plan is already well underway.’

‘Oh, come on,’ he said. ‘You can’t be serious.’

‘I am.’ he stood, his form already flickering. ‘Use my strength and go. I’ll guide the way and stop Snoke from prying in your mind. Hurry, there isn’t much time left.’

Kylo felt the Force surge through his body, dulling the pain and powering his muscles. Where he had been all but paralysed before, he now stood with ease although not with much stability. When he looked again, Grandfather was gone.

The golden dice still rested in his hand. He slid them back into his pocket and pulled the torn shirt over his head, thankful it hadn’t gotten stuck in the wounds, and shrugged on another and put the cloak over to ensure his injuries were well-concealed. His lightsaber he put in its usual place. To hide his intent from the crew, he didn’t neglect his mask this time. Finally, he tore the position sensor from his belt and shoved it under the mattress. Going on the run with a tracker on you wouldn’t get you very far.

He pulled the torn shirt over his head, thankful it hadn’t gotten stuck into the wounds, shrugged on another and put his cloak over it, making sure his injuries were well-concealed. To hide his intent from the crew, he made sure not to neglect his mask this time. His lightsaber he put in its usual place. Finally, he tore the position sensor from his belt and shoved it under the mattress. Running and hiding with a tracker on you, wouldn’t get you very far.

Taking a deep breath, he stepped outside. For the first time in years, his path was clear. It might very well be his only chance.

 

* * *

 

‘Ren wants the prisoner,’ FN-2187 announced as he walked into the cell where the prisoner from Jakku still lay strapped to the interrogation table with blood in his hair.

‘Why?’ One of the guards demanded. ‘Supreme leader himself has extracted the intel.’

Was he glad he hadn’t arrived any sooner. They were probably talking about a hologram popping up and digging around in the prisoner’s head. He had seen it once and it would explain why this guy looked so bad. Snoke has had his fair share of damaging people’s health today. Better to hurry up and not add to his list.

‘Are you questioning Ren’s orders?’ He asked. It was a wry relief knowing Ren was in no shape to contradict him anytime soon. And who knows? Maybe Ren was so done with Snoke now, he would’ve even confirmed it if he could just to get back at him. Wishful thinking, but the idea kept him from a full-blown panic attack. More likely, Ren would cut him in little pieces and serve him to his knights if he’d find out.

The guards didn’t answer but unchained the prisoner all the same. FN-2187 pulled him out of the cell and into the first empty corridor he could find. ‘Listen carefully. If you do exactly what I say, I can get you out of here.’

The prisoner looked up and frowned at him. ‘What?’

‘This is a rescue. I’m breaking you out,’ he clarified. ‘Can you fly a TIE-fighter.’

His eyes lit up and his frown shifted into a shimmer of a smile. ‘You’re with the resistance.’

‘What?’ It was FN-2187’s turn to frown. ‘No, no. I’m breaking you out. Can you fly a TIE-fighter?’

‘I can fly anything,’ he boasted, although his frown returned. ‘Why? Why are you helping me?’

He hesitated. ‘Because it’s the right thing to do.’ It wasn’t a lie, not the entirety of the truth either, but definitely not a lie.

Realisation washed over the prisoner’s face. ‘You need a pilot.’

‘I need a pilot,’ he admitted. ‘I need to get out of here.’

The prisoner nodded with a wide grin. Apparently, he liked the substantial reason more than the moral one. ‘We’re going to do this.’

 

* * *

 

‘Okay, stay calm. Stay calm,’ FN-2187 whispered to himself while walking into the hangar with the full intent to commit high treason. ‘Don’t panic.’

‘I am calm,’ the prisoner said.

‘I was talking to myself.’

Somehow, their act was convincing. No one as much as batted an eye as he walked a high-interest prisoner through the hangar, the place where things tended to leave the other way they’d come. He estimated the distance to the nearest TIE-fighter. ‘Not yet, wait. Okay, go. This way.’

They made it into the TIE-fighter without interference. The former prisoner looked around with a grin way too enthusiastic given the situation. ‘I’ve always wanted to fly one of these things. Can you shoot?’

‘Blaster, I can.’ Finn sat down and looked down at the controls. He had never seen the inside of these things before. With even the best will in the universe, he couldn’t have begun to guess where half of those things were for.

‘Okay, same principle,’ he explained. ‘Use the toggle on the left to switch between missiles, cannons and mag pulse. Use the sight on the right to aim. Triggers to fire.’

The what on the where and between what? Nothing came even close to resembling a blaster. The best he could do was assume the big thingies were the triggers. ‘This is very complicated.’

‘Okay, so this half-baked plan of yours might actually work. I’m impressed,’ a voice boomed through the ship. ‘Truly, I am. However, you may have noticed we are still attached to the hangar. Want me to fix that?’

FN-2187 turned to the source of the voice and let out a string of curses and obscenities that were without debate against the code of conduct. Ren let it pass while he sat cross-legged on the floor in the small space between the gunner’s seat and the wall, with his helmet in his lap.

‘Maybe you should say that a little louder. I don’t think they heard you out there.’

Out of all things Ren could’ve done, including chopping them to little pieces, he decided to crack a joke. FN-2187 wouldn’t exactly be surprised to know Ren wanted out. Snoke had just all but killed him. No sane person would want to stay, not commenting on whatever Ren’s mental state was. ‘Are you with us or not?’

Before Ren could’ve as much as heard the question, the prisoner had turned in his seat and started yelling. ‘Ben, buddy? Is that you? Where have you been? Everybody thinks you’re dead.’

Ren narrowed his eyes. ‘Dameron.’

‘Oh, so you know each other. Nice,’ FN-2187 said. This day kept getting more complicated every few minutes. ‘With us or not?’

‘How’s that even a question?’ the prisoner exclaimed. ‘Of course, he’s with us. I’m firing this thing up.’

‘Guess, I’m with you,’ Ren shrugged, twisting his helmet around between his hands. As to emphasize his earlier statement, the ship was yanked back a second from rising up. ‘Told you!’

‘I’ll fix it,’ the prisoner said, turning back to sit in his chair properly.

‘Allow me,’ Ren swiped a hand, having to steady himself against the wall with the other. The resistance fell away and the ship shot into outer space.

FN-2187, who had been the only one properly seated in the first place, was a bit shaken but had no trouble staying in his seat. Now, he had the time to fully comprehend Kylo Ren, master of the Knights of Ren and personal apprentice to Snoke, was sitting a few feet away. ‘You’re really with us? No tricks or whatever-.’

‘You saw what happened,’ he interrupted. ‘I can’t go back.’

He had briefly considered bringing him along before but had doubted his efforts would be appreciated in any other way than with a lightsaber shoved through him. What he couldn’t figure out was, how had Ren even managed to make it to the hangar?

Not an hour ago, FN-2187 had left him in his chambers, gravely injured and barely conscious. He seemed fine now, but mysterious Force or not, injuries like that didn’t just disappear. Besides, Ren wouldn’t have needed their help if he somehow had recovered.

‘How did you even end up here?’ the prisoner asked. ‘No, don’t tell me. Tell your mother. Just wait until she hears this.’

Those were a collection of sentences he’d never thought he would hear uttered at Ren, who was looking uncharacteristically rattled by it.

‘And what did you mean, go back? Go back where?’ the prisoner added, right before he yanked the ship to the side. ‘Wow! We need to take out those cannons or we’re not going to get very far.’

‘Alright.’ FN-2187 shifted his focus to outside of the ship. The cruiser’s surface cannons were all aimed at them, firing one after another.

‘I’m getting us into position,’ the prisoner said. ‘Stay sharp. Up ahead. You see it? It’s a clean shot, dead centre.’

He pulled the trigger. It really was a clean shot. All he had had to do was bring the guns in a straight line and shoot. The cannon came off with a nice explosion. ‘Did you see that? Did you see that?!’

‘I saw it,’ the prisoner said.

‘This is more like I thought it would go,’ Ren mocked, looking at the cannons through the windshield. Was it too late to toss him from the ship?

‘How about you pull some of the weight, Ben,’ the prisoner asked while steering the ship into maneuvers to both dodge the attack and get into position to take those cannons out. ‘And what did you mean with “Going back”? Going back where exactly.’

Ren raised an arm and one of the cannons blew without visible cause. He paled and his eyes fluttered. It quelled the last of FN-2187’s doubts. If this was too much for him, he hadn’t recovered, he had just managed to get moving long enough to get on this ship.

‘Don’t tire yourself out,’ the prisoner quipped. ‘But “going back there”? Where have you been all this time?’

Ren’s only answer was a frown, followed by his eyes falling shut as he practically passed out against the wall. Something which the prisoner could not see.

FN-2187 hadn’t had the time to mention it. Another cannon entered his line of sight and within a second, he pulled the trigger. ‘Hell yeah. There goes another one.’

The prisoner let out a laugh. ‘What’s your name.’

‘FN-2187.’

‘Ef- en what now?’ he turned in his chair.

‘That’s the only name they ever gave me.’

‘Well, I’m not going to use it.’ He turned back. ‘F-N, eh? Finn, I’m going to call you Finn. Is that alright?’

‘Finn.’ He tested the sound of the word. ‘Yeah, I like that.’

Ren opened his eyes, seemingly surprised at his proximity with the wall next to him. ‘I’d say we have more pressing matters. We’ve got people shooting at us. How about we deal with them first and do all the talking later?’

Given the circumstances, it was to be expected he wasn’t going to be much help. Still, if he wasn’t going to do anything, he shouldn’t complain either. Although Finn had to admit, this had been a lot more talking than he had expected from any ride in this thing.

‘Ignore him,’ the prisoner said. ‘I’m Poe. Poe Dameron.’

‘Good to meet you, Poe.’

‘Good to meet you too, Finn,’ Poe said, again turning in his chair, but towards Ren this time. ‘But I want an answer, Ben. What were you doing there? And why are you dressed like that? You look like your grandfather. The rabid cyborg, not the senator. Don’t tell me you became one of those Knights of Ren fellows.’

For a resistance agent, this guy was horrendously underinformed. But then again, Finn had no idea how that grandfather thing worked. Cyborg? ‘That is Ren. You know, Kylo Ren. Look at the mask.’

‘No way,’ Poe laughed, turning a little further in his chair. ‘Ben, tell him-.’

Ren held up his mask, showing the unmistakable design of the faceplate.

Poe’s smile dropped. ‘Ah kriff. What the hell, Ben? Why? Why did you do that? Why would you do that to your mother? You’re not only disappointing her, you’re-.’

‘Okay!’ Ren backed away, again leaning into the sidewall. ‘Good to have that cleared up. Now, on the right.’

‘Hold on, I see them,’ Finn said, shooting down the incoming TIE-fighter.

‘Nice shot,’ Poe said.

‘Where are we going?’ Ren asked, his voice faint.

‘Back to Jakku,’ Poe grunted. ‘That’s where.’

‘No, we can’t go back to Jakku,’ Finn yelled. Did this guy have any sense of self-preservation? ‘We need to get out of this system.’

‘I agree. That’s idiotic. Turn this thing around,’ Ren said. He was still in no position to complain, but he was completely right.

‘Oh yeah, I wasn’t done with you,’ Poe said. ‘Not only are you-.’

‘Shut up and fly,’ Ren bit. ‘And not to Jakku.’

‘I got to find my droid before the First Order does.’

‘What, a droid?’ Finn exclaimed. He should’ve gotten another pilot. This one was an idiot.

‘That's right. He's a BB unit, orange, and white. One of a kind,’ Poe continued, not getting the hint.

‘I don't care what colour he is! No droid can be that important!’

‘This one is.’

Ren interrupted. ‘I assure you, no stormtrooper will find anything unless it has a flashing sign and blaring alarms attached to it.’

Finn had the feeling he had just been insulted, but he had bigger problems. ‘We need to get as far away from the First Order as we can. We go back to Jakku, we die.’

Poe groaned. ‘That droid carries a map that leads straight to Luke Skywalker. You know, Ben, that map.’

‘Are you kidding me?’ Finn shouted.

‘What? Ren was wide awake again. Must be something, to be chasing something for months, only to have it shoved in your face when you’re trying to desert.

‘Oh, now it’s a problem?’ Poe asked. ‘Explain that one to your mother.’

Ren rolled his eyes. Did he do that a lot? He definitely could with that mask. Finn had made a few faces at Phasma and given the fact he hadn’t been shot, she hadn’t noticed.

The ship trembled, bouncing off something and towards the side. Finn had to hold onto his chair as the gravity shifted. Ren was thrown from his spot on the floor and Poe’s shouting abruptly stopped. Finn thought only one thing before everything went black.

_We’re going down._


	3. Point of no return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixed :)

‘FN-2187 reported to my division, was evaluated and sent to reconditioning,’ Captain Phasma listed. A single stormtrooper accompanied her.

  
‘No prior signs of non-conformity?’ Hux inquired

  
‘This was his first offense,’ Phasma said, ‘SG-2745 worked on an assignment with him minutes before he defected.’ She turned to her soldier, ‘tell him.’

  
‘We were ordered to escort Kylo Ren to our Supreme leader,’ a young, female voice spoke behind the helmet, ‘FN-2187 was acting odd, but not necessarily suspicious. I do not believe he planned this in advance.’

  
‘I don’t care how long he was considering high treason,’ Hux brushed her off, ‘retrieve Ren and bring him here. Tell him his expertise is required.’ The stormtrooper didn’t move, only gaped at her captain.

  
‘How would a deserting stormtrooper require Ren’s assistance? He would do better to locate that droid,’ Phasma said.

  
‘The charging cable became undone with no visible cause. One of the cannons blew up on its own accord. What does that tell you?’ Hux lost his patience. The situation was vexing enough without soldiers questioning his orders. ‘a force user aided in the escape. That’s how it concerns Ren,’ he continued when Phasma didn’t answer. ‘Now hurry up and bring Ren here.’

  
‘Sir,’ the stormtrooper interrupted, ‘I do not believe that is currently possible.’

  
‘How so?’ Hux raised an eyebrow, memorising the soldier's number of identification. Perhaps this one would also benefit from reconditioning.

  
‘Ren is incapable of leaving his chambers,’ the stormtrooper paused, ‘he’s unwell.’

  
‘Unwell? Has a medic been sent?’ Hux asked. He was supposed to be briefed on the status of all high-ranking officers on the ship. Ren was no officer, but he was included under the protocol. The man, however, had refused to follow either orders or protocol ever since he set foot on this cruiser. Still, had it been serious enough to impede Ren’s performance, he would’ve been informed through the normal channels, not by a soldier who happened to mention it.

  
‘We- we weren’t ordered to,’ the stormtrooper stammered.

  
Hux had expected Ren wouldn’t enjoy his audience with Supreme leader, but for the man to hole himself up in his room was a new kind of pathetic. Not only was Ren now disturbing the carefully maintained order, but his impetuous behaviour was also delaying the task on hand.

  
‘General,’ the technician charged with tracking the movements of the stolen TIE fighter turned away from the screen, ‘they’ve been hit.’

  
‘Destroyed?’ Hux asked, heading for the control panel.

  
‘Disabled,’ the technician said, ‘the fighter is projected to crash in the Goazon Badlands.’

  
‘They’re going back for the droid,’ he turned back to Phasma, ‘Send a squad to the wreckage and approach with caution. The force user may have been on the ship. I’ll send Ren after you as soon as possible.’ He resented the trouble the man caused him, but sending a stormtrooper would be pointless and a waste of essential time. He would have to deal with Ren himself.

* * *

 

 

Finn awoke in the middle of a desert, the Jakku desert. Sand stretched as far as he could see. Nothing but the wind moved for miles, except for a pillar of smoke rising up in the distance.  
The ship.

  
He struggled out from the straps holding him to the ejected chair. Dumping his armour, he staggered to the wreckage, screaming for survivors. Not a sign of life was to be found around the TIE figher. No sounds, no movement, not even footprints. They had to still be inside the ship. Having seen the result of Ren’s self-control issues, Finn knew that he could’ve fought his way from the wreckage any time he wanted to. they were either unconscious or dead in there.

  
Reaching into the first opening he found, Finn caught unto something thin and flexible, fabric. He yanked it out of the wreckage. It was Poe’s jacket.

  
‘Poe,’ Finn called, motioning to open up the rest of the ship. before he could, the sand under his feet sunk away. he jumped back in surprise.

  
He could only watch as the desert swallowed the wreckage whole. If anyone had been alive in there, they were dead now. He was alone.

 

* * *

 

 

Kylo coughed up the sand stuck in his throat. He was drenched in his own sweat. Not an ideal way to start a trip through the drought of Jakku.

  
Dameron was several feet away, still strapped to the pilot’s seat. The ejection mechanism had probably saved his life. By all logic, Kylo should’ve been crushed on impact considering he had been sitting unsecured on the floor. He vaguely remembered the gravity falling away and all his senses being throwing in disarray, leaving him only the Force to rely on. He had reached through it until he found something familiar. Without realising it, he must’ve used the Force to break his fall.

  
He struggled to his feet. The ground shifted under him and he fell back into the sand. Sweat prickled in his wounds, making the blood retreat from his head. Grandfather’s strength was gradually fading.

  
Dameron rolled from his chair and looked sheepishly at his surroundings. His eyes went wide when he noticed Kylo.  
“Ben,’ he shouted, ‘are you alive?’ Kylo didn’t bother answering while he sat up. Dead people didn’t sit. Dameron jumped up and came his way. When he reached, he pulled Kylo up by the arm. Normally, Kylo would’ve refused the help, but the sand wasn’t very comfortable.

  
‘Where’s Finn?’ Dameron asked immediately.

  
‘I don’t know,’ Kylo said, looking around. Nothing but sand.

  
‘Can you try harder?’ Dameron crossed his eyes, frowning, ‘you know, Force stuff.

  
‘Force stuff?’ Kylo raised an eyebrow.

  
‘Do your magic thingy and find him,’ Dameron said while making random gestures in the air.

  
‘I can’t,’ Kylo looked around him once more. He reached out through the Force only for his attempts to bounce off., as was to be expected Normally it would’ve been easy enough, but now he was too weakened to seriously try.

  
‘You blow up cannons with your mind, but finding someone is impossible?’

  
‘It doesn’t work like that,’ Kylo snapped, ‘we have to get out of here or we’ll die.’

  
‘But Finn might still be out there somewhere,’ Dameron protested.

  
‘Finding him is unlikely,’ Kylo said.

  
‘We have to try.’

  
‘What would you suggest?’ Kylo said, ‘there are no tracks. No landmarks. Even the ship’s gone. We have nothing to go on.’  
‘We have to do something,’ Dameron insisted, still not offering a plan.

  
‘You’re free to try,’ Kylo turned away, ‘I’ll be going.’ They had as much chance of finding Finn heading for safety as they did going in any direction. If he recalled the maps he studied for his missions, there had to be an outpost and several settlements on the northern reaches of this planet. Judging from the sun’s position and the length of their shadows north was over there.

  
‘Wait,’ Dameron stopped him by grabbing his arm again, ‘we have to stick together.’

  
‘Why?’

  
‘Are you kidding me?’ Dameron asked, visibly irritated, ‘were in the middle of the desert.’

  
‘A desert that will be crawling with stormtroopers within hours.’

  
‘Yeah,’ Dameron nodded, ‘that’s going to be a problem.’

  
‘Finn probably died in the crash. Just look at the distance we fell from,’ Kylo said, ‘we’ll die trying to save a dead man.’  
‘Yeah, I know,’ Dameron muttered, looking down.

  
‘If he somehow did survive, we can’t help him. We have no idea where he would’ve landed,’ Kylo said, ‘the only thing we can do is get moving.’

  
‘Yeah, you’re right,’ admitted hesitantly, ‘I still need to get back for my droid though. I’ve got a good idea where he is. The resistance depends on it.’

  
Kylo groaned, ‘do you have a plan? Like I said; the order’s going to be crawling all over this planet.’

  
‘Not really,’ Dameron said, ‘hadn’t considered that.’

  
‘I’m going,’ Kylo turned and trudged away.

  
‘Alright, alright,’ Dameron hurried after him, ‘I’ll figure it out on the way.’

  
‘Don’t expect my help.’

  
‘Don’t you want to find your uncle?’ Dameron asked.

  
‘Sure, if I want to be murdered in my sleep.’ The prickling in his wounds flared up to a biting pain.

  
‘What? Wait no, don’t tell me. I don’t want to know,’ Dameron said, looking up and down, ‘Black clothes and capes aren’t very useful in deserts.’

  
‘Can’t be helped.’

  
‘You can just dump the cloak,’ Dameron suggested.

  
‘Mind your own business,’ Kylo snapped. He wouldn’t be able to bring his hands up far enough to unclasp the cloak and Dameron didn’t need to know about his injuries. It would only slow them down. Something they couldn’t afford at the moment.

  
‘Whatever,’ Dameron shrugged, ‘you do you.’ They continued in silence until the desert began twisting around them. Kylo stopped to maintain his balance. The sand was spinning in circles under his feet.

  
‘What is it?’ Dameron looked back. Didn’t he see it? Everything was turning. How could he not see that?  
Kylo’s knees gave out. The edges of his vision went dark. The sand closed in. Fighting to stay conscious, he reached out his arms to break his fall. Searing pain shot through his back. Everything went dark.

 

Rey cut the net Teedo had trapped the droid in. He hurled insults at her as she pulled the severed cords aside.

  
‘Beat it,’ she shouted back in his own language. Teedo screeched a last insult before steering his mount away. He always scrammed at the first sign someone was putting up a fight. The droid added some provocations of his own to the exchange as Teedo departed.

  
Rey hushed him. Teedo was a coward, but no need to push their luck. The droid went quiet with an offended movement. When Teedo had disappeared from sight, the droid beeped questioningly at her.

  
‘That’s just Teedo. Wants you for parts,’ she knelt down to the droids height, ‘he has no respect for anyone. Your antenna is bent,’ she reached to fix it. The droid sat still while she bent the antenna back into position and beeped a thanks when she was done.

  
‘Where do you come from?’ she asked.

  
‘Classified.’

  
‘Classified. Really? Me too. Big secret,’ she joked, pointing away, ‘Niima outpost is that way, just stay off Kelvin’s ridge and keep away from the Sinking Fields in the north, you'll drown in the sand.’ She stood up to leave. The droid rolled after her when she walked away, beeping loudly.

  
‘Don’t follow me. Town’s that way,’ she pointed again.

  
‘Follow. Stay together? Please?’ the droid asked.

  
‘What? No,’ Rey said. She couldn’t be hauling a droid around during her scavenging trips.

  
‘Alone. Scary,’ the droid beeped sadly, ‘Help?’

  
Rey hesitated. The droid was such a small thing. What if another Teedo saw him? He couldn’t defend himself. ‘Come on,’ she finally nodded. The droid raced to her side, obviously pleased.

  
‘In the morning, you go,’ she said. The droid just beeped in happiness and gratitude.’  
‘You’re welcome.’

 

Hux glared around the room. The chambers were nothing out of the ordinary. Except for the fact that they were empty. According to the position sensor Ren should be right in front of him. His eyes were telling him that wasn’t the case. He checked the sensor again. The signal came from the bed, but it was obviously empty. Either Ren had chosen to go out with his clothes unfastened or the sensor was faulty. He didn’t have time for this.

  
‘Send a squad to Ren’s chamber,’ he ordered into his transmitter.

  
‘At one, Sir,’ the voice on the other side answered.

  
Following the signal to the bed, Hux began searching the room in the meantime. On the off chance that Ren had indeed gone out without his belt, he pulled the pillow and sheets aside. Nothing was under it.

  
He crouched down to look under the bed. If Ren took as much care in keeping his room orderly as he did with observing protocol, Hux wouldn’t be surprised if that was were unused clothing was kept. Indeed, a heap of fabric was piled against the leg of the bed. He lifted it up, fully expecting the belt to tumble out. He would have to discuss Ren’s negligence with Supreme leader.

  
Instead of the belt tumbling out, scorch marks emerged in the folds of the fabric, accompanied by the occasional bloodstain. This was what the stormtrooper had been referring to. Apparently, Snoke hadn’t appreciated Ren’s transgressions either. While it was good to know he could be expecting more cautious behaviour from Ren, it did pose an issue. If the man was unable to assist in the capture of the unknown force-user than they’d have an entirely different problem. This is why protocol had to be observed at all times. To avoid situations like these.

  
But Hux wouldn’t tolerate any objections against his orders from Ren. If the man was capable of leaving his chambers and evading him, then he was perfectly capable of taking part in this mission.

  
Hux straightened himself when the door slid open and the squad finally arrived. He held unto the piece of clothing, hiding it from the soldiers. No need to damage morale.

  
‘Search these rooms,’ he ordered.

  
‘Sir,’ one of the stormtroopers sputtered, ‘these are Ren’s personal chambers.’

  
‘Yes. They are,’ anger welled up in him. For some reason he didn’t grasp Ren had managed to obtain the loyalty from a part of the troops. Now some had the nerve to prioritise Ren’s authority of his own. ‘Do you see him?’

  
‘No, Sir,’ the stormtrooper unironically looked around.

  
‘Exactly,’ Hux said, ‘search this room for any indication where he has gone. Search the rest of this ship next.’

  
‘Yes, Sir,’ the squad came into motion and scoured the room. Hux didn’t expect them to find anything useful in here, but they had to start somewhere. He felt some satisfaction at knowing Ren would come back to find his possessions thrown around. It would probably be a show to be enjoyed from a safe distance. Although he hoped Ren would show some restraint now Supreme leader had given him the incentive. If not, Hux would have to discuss it with Supreme leader after all. The destruction Ren left at times was getting out of hand.

  
‘Sir,’ the nearest stormtroopers called, crouching by the bed, ‘I’ve found something.’ Hux approached to see. Had he missed anything?

  
The stormtrooper lifted the mattress from its place. Underneath lay a single piece of machinery. He carefully picked it up. Ren probably didn’t keep explosives under his bed, but one could never be too careful. Hucmoved to get better lighting. The tracking device in his pocket beeped. Either Ren was on the move again or the position beacon was functioning again. He took the device and looked at the screen. It still indicated Ren was in the room, just slightly more to the left. He went to see whether any of the soldiers had found the belt. The signal on the screen moved with him. Cold realisation rolled over him. The prisoner that had escaped had been of great interest to Ren. Still, Hux hadn’t seen him since the TIE fighter was stolen. On top of that, a force-user had assisted in the escape and there were not a lot of them left.

  
‘Put every available unit on this search and contact Supreme leader immediately,’ Hux ordered, ‘tell him it’s of utmost urgency.’


	4. out of the sand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fixed:)

After what seemed like an eternity, Finn saw some sort of settlement in the distance. He struggled through the sand, the sun mercilessly beating down on him. His throat felt like it was going to burst.

  
When he finally reached the cover of the countless tents gathered together. He took Poe’s jacket off his head. Shrugging it on, he stumbled to the first being he saw.

  
‘Water. Please, water,’ he begged, barely managing a whisper. The creature simply shooed him off. He raced to the next, having even less luck next time. This one didn’t even seem to understand him, or maybe just pretended not too. it didn’t matter. Finn needed water or he wasn’t going to last. Trying again, he stopped the nearest living creature he could find. Only to be shoved aside without consideration. He needed a better plan.

  
The comforting sound of splashing water promised relief of the burning in his throat. Without thinking he raced towards the source of the sound and stuck his head in the water, desperately guzzling down the water. Only when the extremes of his thirst were quenched did he notice the other creature drinking from the water basin. He gagged, realising what the four-legged mass of blubber must’ve left in the water. But the thirst won from the disgust and he continued drinking, holding his vomit down.

  
Sounds of a nearby struggle made him tear away from the refreshing, life-saving water. He jumped up with renewed strength.  
A girl was being attacked by two figures in black. Finn approached to help her, but the girl was already taking care of it herself. She kicked her attackers to the ground with impressive ease. The figures in black showed the good sense to make themselves scarce. The girls crouched down while the figures disappeared around the first corner they saw. She reached to grab a small sack off the ground. The sack moved in circles through the sand. Was it supposed to be doing that?  
When the girl finally got a hold on the sack, a small droid peeked out from under it. Rolling out from under the bag, the droid came into full sight. It was a BB-unit, white and orange.

  
Oh no. That had to be a coincidence. Like, what are the chances? There were a ton of these droids. No way this was Poe’s droid. It was all just some stupid coincidence. He was not about to get dragged back into the crazy because this droid fit Poe’s description. There were probably around five dozen droids on this planet that fit the criteria.  
‘One of a kind,’ Poe’s voice echoed in his head.

  
Finn took a deep breath. Back to the crazy it is. He moved to approach the girl, but she saved him the trouble. She came running to him. He looked around, trying to figure out what she was going for. It couldn’t be him, she would’ve no idea who he was. But still, the girl was staring straight at him and she wasn’t making a happy face. A staff perfect for hitting people with was clutched in her hand. Not taking the time to ask her what was up, Finn made a run for it. He didn’t need another smack-down on top of the contusions from the crash.

  
The girl pursued him with a zeal he hadn’t seen in a while. Considering his former employment, that was saying something. He followed the example of the previous poor sods that had the bad fortune of having a confrontation with this girl and turned around the first corner he could find. Something smacked him to the ground before he got the chance to look where he was going.

  
The girl was standing over him, staff raised. How had she gotten here so fast? She was behind him a second ago.  
‘What’s the hurry thief,’ the girl demanded, not giving him a chance to inquire about her abrupt change of location.  
‘What?’ Finn stayed down. better not to give her a chance to use that staff, ‘Thief?’ He had done plenty of things today, but he wasn’t a thief. He might’ve ignored direct orders. He might’ve busted out a prisoner and he might’ve flown said prisoner out on a stolen TIE fighter…  
Okay, maybe thief could be included in the list of things he could rightfully be called. But still, this girl couldn’t know that. The First Order usually didn’t go around announcing their setbacks.

  
The droid came rolling around the corner, probably equally confused by the girl’s apparent teleportation skills. She should sell that stuff. It would make some serious money.

  
The droid seemed to think he should also contribute something to Finn’s predicament and zapped him.

  
‘Hey!’ he yelled, estimating how far he could bowl the little screw collection.

  
‘The jacket,’ the girl bit at him, ‘the droid says you stole it.’

  
‘Alright, listen up. I’ve had a pretty messed up day already,’ Finn didn’t say that lightly. He was used to Phasma breathing down his neck, but this day alone he had barely avoided either execution or reconditioning, and he didn’t know which one would’ve been worse. Next, he had been forced, not just once but twice in fifteen minutes, to be in the same room as that bathrobe-wearing piece of mashed potato. Like, put on some actual clothes if you obligated people to be in your presence. And last but not least, he had to listen to Ren’s nagging until they were shot down. ‘so I’d appreciate it if you’d stop accusing me of-,’ the droid zapped him again for no particular reason. ‘stop that.’

  
‘Where’d you get that?’ the girl demanded, moving her staff a little too much to Finn’s liking, ‘it belongs to his master.’  
Ah, that cleared things up. What you could not achieve with actual communication, instead of hitting people over the head with a stick.

  
‘It belonged to Poe Dameron,’ Finn looked over to the droid, ‘That was his name, right? Both the droid and the girl began pushing for information. He gave them a short summary of the day’s events. If the girl had any affiliation with the First Order she would’ve already handed over the droid. He did leave out the part where the Order’s secret weapon had hitched a ride. That wouldn’t get him any credit on either side of the war. Besides, keeping quiet about Kylo’s death might keep the order busy for a while. He felt kind of bad about using a guy’s death in his benefit, but he doubted Kylo would object. He also didn’t mention the part where he used to be a stormtrooper. The resistance wouldn’t appreciate the stormtrooper part and the First Order might frown upon the used-to-be part.

  
‘Poe didn’t make it,’ he concluded his story, ‘Look, I’m sorry. It tried to help them.’ he slipped up but they didn’t seem to notice. If they had, they weren’t interested in who else tagged along.

  
The droid beeped once and rolled away, his head hanging.

  
‘You’re with the resistance?’ the girl asked, wide-eyed and smiling. He assumed she hadn’t known Poe, or at least hadn’t liked him very much.

  
‘Yeah, yeah, I am,’ he lied without much thought. This girl seemed to like the resistance. Better to not get on her wrong side. She was still holding that staff. Besides, who could disappoint a smile like that?

  
‘I’m with the resistance,’ he whispered, mostly to himself.

  
‘I’ve never met a resistance fighter before,’ the girl finally put her staff away.

  
‘Well, this is what we look like,’ Finn said before catching himself, ‘Some of us. Others look different.’ He should probably shut up now.

  
‘BB-8 says he’s on a secret mission. That he has to get back to your base,’ the girl said.’

  
‘Apparently, he's carrying a map that leads to Luke Skywalker, and everyone's after it,’ Finn groaned. What had he done to gain the ire of the universe? It couldn’t just be any map. It had to be the map to Luke Kriffing Skywalker.

  
The girl’s jaw dropped, ‘Luke Skywalker? I thought he was a myth.’ Yeah, he’d wish. Maybe he could tell the order that and they would lay off.

  
In the meantime, the droid was beeping angrily at a corner, possibly choosing the girl’s next victim. Indeed, the girl went to check. Finn followed to watch the show. At least he wasn’t the punchline this time. He hoped.  
It so possibly got worse. The guys that had just harassed the girl were chatting with a couple of Finn’s old colleagues. Perhaps they were swapping war stories. More likely they were snitching.

  
He took the girl by the hand and scrammed. The girl complained the entire way about him holding her hand. The blaster fire and flying debris that followed them didn’t seem to bother her.

 

* * *

 

 

Ben was even heavier than he looked. Poe was half-carrying, half-dragging him through the sand as he slipped in and out of consciousness. He gurgled something in Poe’s ear and drooled on his shoulder. Was he really Kylo Ren? He certainly dressed the part.

  
Poe had ditched the cloak half a mile back. If Ben had any complaints about it, he could voice them when he was actually capable of forming a full sentence again. What was he thinking keeping that thing on to begin with?

  
Ben murmured something else. Poe ignored him. There was no making sense of it anyway. Maybe he should’ve listened.  
Poe was dragged facedown into the sand when Ben collapsed completely. He crawled out from under the massive weight. Ben remained motionless in the sand. Poe shook him a bit, but Ben didn’t move.

  
They needed water quickly or he would have to tell General Organa her son was dead, for real this time. How the hell had Leia’s son become Kylo Ren anyway? He would’ve to ask later.

  
In a last attempt to wake Ben up, Poe lightly tapped him in the face. He almost expected Ben to jump up in anger, but he only opened his eyes slightly before promptly closing them again.

  
Poe sighed and rose to his feet. He did a quick glance-over. Ben had no obvious injuries from the crash beside the swelling under his eye. He also hadn’t complained about any pain when Poe had pulled him from the sand and they’d walked a good distance before Ben had collapsed the first time. It had to be the heat. He just needed to find water and shelter and they’d be fine.

  
He was about to hoist Ben back up again when the sound of engines sounded in the distance. Someone was close. He dumped Ben back into the sand and raised his arms above his head, waving them around.

  
‘Over here,’ he yelled when he saw the truck, ‘over here. Help.’  
The vehicle turned into their direction. Poe jumped up and down to make sure he was seen. He stopped to catch his breath when the truck accelerated. A woman leaped from the driver’s seat as soon as the truck skidded to a halt. An old man emerged from the cargo space.

  
‘What happened?’ the woman asked, ‘Who are you?’

  
‘We crashed. I don’t know where we are. He needs water,’ Poe said, pointing at Ben laying in the sand behind him. ‘please, help.’ The woman pushed past him and hurried to Ben’s side, checking his pulse.

  
‘He has a heat stroke,’ she declared before turning at the old man waiting by the back of the truck. ‘Dad, get some water. You,’ she looked back to Poe, ‘help me get him in the back.’

  
‘Yeah,’ Poe crouched down to as she said. Together they lifted Ben into the cargo space. The roof was barely high enough to stand under, but the tattered tarps held out the scorching sun. Ben stirred awake when they laid him down.

  
The old man handed Poe a canteen and another one to the woman. Poe quickly gulped down the cool water in a single swig. He hadn’t noticed how dehydrated he had been until that moment. His energy was restored almost immediately.

  
‘Why is he wearing clothes like these in the desert?’ the woman asked while she helped Ben drink. Her father left the cargo space without a word.

  
‘I don’t think he expected to be here,’ Poe said, looking after the old man, ‘you should’ve seen the cloak he was wearing.’  
‘What?’ the woman looked up. Ben was staring at her with wide, hazy eyes. The truck shuddered alive and the engines roared. They drove away.

  
‘Help me get him out of these,’ the woman said before Poe could ask where they were going. She unclasped the belt holding Ben’s shirt together. Something that had been attached to it rolled over the floor as she tossed it aside.  
Poe moved to assist her by holding Ben up in a sitting position. She quickly undid the clasps of the shirt. Ben narrowed his eyes at her. she ignored him and moved the shirt aside.

  
‘Wait. This isn’t a heatstroke,’ she frowned. Ben began making a fuss by trying to roll around. They were saving his life and he decided to make their job harder. It was about how Poe remembered.

  
‘What do you mean?’ he asked while holding still and ignoring a struggling Ben.

  
‘He’s sweating,’ the woman explained, ‘your body hoards water when it’s overheating. You wouldn’t be sweating.’ She was paying even less attention to Ben’s stupidity than he was. ‘something else is wrong.’

  
‘Like what?’ Poe asked, pinning Ben’s arms down at his side.

  
‘I don’t know,’ the woman frowned again. She shoved the shirt aside. Poe moved to a better position and took over.

  
‘Don’t,’ Ben ailed.

  
Poe disregarded the feverish protest and pulled the shirt away. It took some effort as it had gotten stuck in the dried sweat. Ben stopped struggling, making things a lot easier. Although it was probably because he passed out again.

  
‘I think I know what’s wrong,’ Poe’s stomach dropped as the shirt fell to the ground, revealing damaged skin. He began to understand why Ben had involved himself in their ‘half-baked’ plan.

  
Over a dozen dark-red, raised grooves traced over his back. Blisters running along each line. Blood trickled down from the spots where Poe had just torn the skin away along with the fabric.

 

* * *

 

 

‘Are you absolutely certain?’ the Supreme leader demanded through the hologram, still on his throne.

  
‘Completely,’ Hux answered, ‘Ren’s helmet has been found inside the wreckage. That leaves little room for alternative explanations for Ren’s sudden disappearance.’

  
‘And Ren himself?’ Snoke glared down at him with eyes of steel.

  
‘The shipwreck was engulfed by the sand,’ Hux summarised the report, ‘we managed to salvage what remained of it, but no bodies were found. Still, we have no way of knowing whether all occupants survived. We have been able to construct two trails leading away from the wreckage, both starting within range of the crash site.’

  
‘I trust you’re prioritising this search, General,’ Snoke interrupted, glowering.

  
‘Of course,’ Hux straightened his back, not backing down under the stare that would send less composed beings running, ‘we’ve been able to confirm that the deserting stormtrooper is heading to Niima outpost due to pieces of discarded armour recovered from the trail nearest to the crash site. We don’t know whether Ren was with him, but I’ve sent my troops to search the outpost and more to follow the other trail.’

  
‘Tear that planet apart if you have to,’ Snoke snapped, ‘find Ren and bring him to me, alive.’

  
‘Supreme leader,’ Hux said carefully, ‘he may not have survived. I will continue to put all available units on the search, but I cannot guarantee that we will find Ren alive.’

  
‘He’s alive,’ Snoke snarled, ‘I would know if he weren’t.’

  
‘As you wish,’ Hux nodded. He didn’t question the statement. It was not his place to openly doubt the powers of the Supreme leader. Still, the uncertainty that a factor as unpredictable as the Force presented, had been a thorn in his side ever since he had begun his rise through the ranks. Ren’s presence on his ship had only emphasized that fact. Hux would’ve preferred to see him gone for good, but Snoke would not take well to such suggestions. Whatever the reason, Snoke was determined to have Ren returned alive. Even though any other soldier would’ve been executed for the offenses Ren had committed.

  
Hux was about to turn and get back to coordinating the search when the receiver in his pocket beeped. He took out the device and read the report that had appeared on the screen after he unlocked it.

  
‘Well?’ Snoke asked when he was done.

  
‘The stormtrooper has been located. Ren was not with him, but the droid holding the map to Skywalker is,’ Hux swallowed, ‘the other trail went cold in the desert.’

  
‘Do not fail me, General,’ Snoke’s said in a cold voice, ‘the consequences would be most dire.’ The hologram flickered and disappeared.

  
Hux’s hatred for Ren soared to unprecedented heights.


	5. Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fixed:)

‘Let go of me,’ Rey demanded as the resistance fighter squished her hand. He was leading them in a circle. A few more minutes like this and they’d be back where they’d started.

‘No we’ve got to move,’ he yelled. The blast flying over their heads had already notified her of such. She yanked her arm lose.

‘I know how to run without you holding my hand,’ she said, running ahead of him. He clearly had no idea where was going. ‘BB-8, stay close.’ The lack of legs didn’t slow him down at all while he skimmed over the sand.

‘This way,’ she gestured to an opening between two tents. They ducked under a tarp and took cover inside the left one. It wouldn’t fool anybody for long, but it was better than running around aimlessly. She leaned against a pole, calming her breath down to its normal rhythm. The resistance fighter began raiding the storage units at the other side of the tent.

‘They’re shooting at both of us,’ she pointed out.

‘Yeah, they saw you with me. you’re marked now,’ he explained, not looking up from throwing stuff out of a drawer.

‘Well, thanks for that,’ Rey said. Scavenging would be a challenge with troopers shooting at her.

‘Hey, I’m not the one who chased you down with a stick,’ he looked up and jabbed a finger in her direction. Was he seriously holding that against her? What else was she supposed to do? Walk up to him and politely ask him where he had gotten that jacket?

‘Doesn’t anyone have blasters around here,’ he yanked open the rest of the drawers. Why would they? People generally didn’t go around shooting each other. The First Order were the only ones around who seemed to think it was a good idea. Everyone else on Jakku was perfectly fine with dodging quicksand instead of blaster fire.

She crouched down to check on BB-8. ‘You’re alright?’

‘Yup,’ he beeped, ‘boom is fun.’ That last part made no sense. The poor guy had probably busted a circuit while they were running. The resistance fighter hushed them. Before she could protest he grabbed her hand again and dragged her back outside. BB-8 raced after them.

‘Stop taking my hand,’ she yelled while they sprinted away from the renewed blaster fire. Apparently, the troopers hadn’t left yet. On the contrary, it seemed like they brought some friends.

TIE fighters screeched through the skies. Explosions to massive to come from the ground troops tore apart entire structures. Debris sprung up in all directions. Was this all for one droid? Did BB-8 have an arsenal of weapons hidden in his belly?

A massive weight slammed against her. She barely managed to get her arms up in time to break her fall. The air was forced from her lungs.

The resistance fighter had gotten off even worse. He was lying motionless, his face pressed in the sand. She crawled to his side, careful to stay under the cover of the settling dust. BB-8 rushed past her, beeping in distress as he saw the resistance fighter. Rey caught up and rolled the resistance fighter on his back. He jerked awake at her touch.

‘Are you alright?’ he asked as soon as he sat up. Rey’s mouth fell open. His own condition had been more worrying. Yet, the first thing he did was check on her.

‘Yeah,’ she helped him to his feet, ‘follow me.’ they couldn’t outrun TIE fighters. They needed a ship. Good thing Plutt had been hoarding those.

 She led them to the edge of the outpost. They encountered fewer obstacles than she’d expected. The TIE fighters had demolished half the buildings and most of the tents. She jumped over a low wall that used to be part of a warehouse. The rest of the structure had been reduced to a pile of rubble. The traders that had owned the building wouldn’t be happy. Rey, however, could appreciate the fact that she didn’t need to go around.

The edge of the sight came into sight. The gate out of town had somehow been spared from the airstrike. Not for long though. She sprinted through it, BB-8 and the resistance fighter on her heels. Just like the TIE fighters.

She didn’t look back, but an explosion indicated that the gate was no more.

‘We can’t outrun them,’ the resistance fighter yelled over the racket. She hoped he hadn’t just realised that or the resistance had to go find themselves some smarter agents.

‘We can in that quad jumper,’ she pointed to the only decent ship among Plutt’s collection.

‘We need a pilot,’ he shouted, yet again stating the obvious. Did he think she’d expected the ship to fly away by itself?

‘We’ve got one,’ she yelled back. Those simulations she’d run on that old computer were going to pay off after all.

‘You,’ he asked in disbelief. Rey didn’t feel the need or opportunity to refute him. She just kept running. The TIE fighter had come dangerously close.

‘What about that one?’ he pointed at one of the rust buckets Plutt had abused. She’d sneaked in a few times to see how the engines worked. Plutt’s additions hadn’t done the ships any good. The quad jumper hadn’t been here long enough to have suffered too much under the ‘maintenance’.

‘That one’s garbage,’ she explained. She barely finished her sentence when the quad jumper was disintegrated. Blown to dust by the TIE fighters soaring over them. it left them with few options.

‘The garbage will do,’ she turned on her heels. It would have to. out of all ships here, that one had at least some artillery. That is assuming Plutt hadn’t made any new ‘adjustments’.

Explosions marked the path they took to the freighter. Rey rammed the outside control panel until the doors opened up and the ramp slid down. She sprinted inside and closed it again once the resistance fighter and BB-8 were inside. Not waiting for them to catch their breath she pointing the resistance fighter to the gunner’s position before racing to the cockpit herself.

‘Did you ever fly this thing?’ the resistance fighter asked from below.

‘This thing hasn’t flown in years,’ Rey yelled back and looked at the controls. She talked some courage into herself and turned on the engines. The ship roared alive, the engines rumbling. It didn’t sound good.

She grabbed hold of the yoke and steered the ship straight up.

‘Stay low,’ the resistance fighter yelled.

‘What?’ shouldn’t they be getting away from Jakku’s surface?

‘Stay low. It confuses their tracking.’

That made sense. She directed the ship back down, skimming the rocks below. An impact on the left made the ship rock. The TIE fighters had caught up with them and resumed their barrage. She reached for the switches on the other side of the control panel. Which one was for the shields again?

A second blast rocked the ship, throwing them off course. She reached for the yoke again and stabilised the ship.

‘Are you ever going to fire back?’ she yelled. The cannons hadn’t even been moved since the resistance fighter went down there. Was he waiting for an invitation?

‘Working on it.’ he answered, ‘are the shields up yet?’

‘Not so easy without a co-pilot,’ she tried to turn on the shields again, holding one hand on the yoke. Flipping the switch she dropped back down in the pilot’s seat. The cannons finally started firing, missing every target in sight. Unlike their pursuers who hit them several times in a row. the shields barely dampened the blasts.

‘We need cover, quick,’ the resistance fighter stated, still not hitting anything. Didn’t the resistance have a minimum skill requirement at the very least?

‘We’re about to get some,’ she answered, ‘I hope so.’ Her plan was a desperate one, but it might just work. Besides, the alternative was being shot down. Or depend on the resistance fighter’s shooting skills, which came down to the same thing.

She steered the ship to the graveyard, barely dodging more cannon fire coming their way. The freighter’s artillery shot back but hit nothing. The TIE fighters continued chasing them down, completely unbothered. She positioned the ship to fit into the canyon below.

One of the TIE fighters had to maneuver away from the rock walls, unable to evade a blast from the freighter’s cannon. It went down burning.

‘Nice hit,’ Rey yelled to the resistance fighter, navigating her way through the ship graveyard beyond the canyon. Slaloming around the wreckages, she tried to shake the last TIE fighter. She was nearly thrown her seat when the freighter rocked sideways again. It wasn’t even the TIE fighter this time. She had simply miscalculated the distance between the ship and the wreckage she just passed.

‘The cannon’s stuck in forwards position,’ the resistance fighter informed her. Shooting back just became a lot harder.

‘Get ready,’ she braced herself and changed course. Her plan was about to get a little more desperate. She steered the freighter into the wreckage of a star destroyer. There little space to maneuver inside, but she hoped it would deter the TIE fighter from following. It did not.

The fighter kept pursuing, dodging the debris and firing. Time for plan B. She guided the ship through the wreckage to the other side. Blue sky emerged through the large hole ripped through the star destroyer’s hull. The TIE fighter followed closely behind. Rey waited for the right moment and steered the freighter up, the cannon now facing the TIE fighter. The resistance fighter fired and the TIE fighter blew up, ridding them of their last pursuer.

Rey cried out in victory and relief while she steered the freighter up and away from Jakku.

* * *

 

 

‘Your last shot was dead on,’ the girl came running out of the cockpit.

‘You set me up for it,’ Finn said.

‘Yeah, it was perfect.’ Her eyes gleamed.

‘That was pretty good,’ he admitted right away. There was no denying it had been. The droid came rolling in. Where had he been? Weren’t BB-units supposed to assist pilots? Maybe he wasn’t compatible with such an old model freighter. The girl had been right. From the inside, this ship indeed closely resemble a trash heap. He was glad he never had sanitation duty on this thing. There was no getting rid of rust like that.

‘He’s with the resistance. He’ll get you home,’ the girl crouched down when the droid began beeping. ‘we both will.’

Oh yeah, right, he had said something like that. Too late to fix that now. Besides, he was helping the resistance. That technically did make him a resistance fighter.

‘I don’t know your name.’ the girl got up and looked him in the eye.

‘Finn,’ he answered without a doubt. No more of ‘the number sequence with a couple of consonants slapped on’ junk. He was a person now. Deal with it, Phasma. ‘what’s yours?’

‘I’m Rey,’ she smiled. The droid, however, was throwing him a dirty look. Somehow managing to pull it off without facial muscles. Finn pushed down the unease rising in his chest. He hadn’t lied that much. Just a little.

He wasn’t granted much time to dwell on it. Steam rose up from the floor with a burst. This ship really was garbage.

‘Help me with this.’ Rey ran towards the source of the steam pile and began tugging at the grating. ‘Quick.’

He raced over and joined her effort. Together they moved the grating aside while the droid was unhelpfully rolling around and bleeping. Probably complaining. Kylo would’ve liked this droid. Rey lowered herself between the gears and wires in the hole. Finn hoped she knew more about engines than he did. if not, they were screwed.

‘What going on?’ Finn tried to get a better look. ‘How bad is it?’ Rey pulled at some wires. He had no idea where those were for. Listening to those dull conversations the technicians had, may not have been a bad idea in hindsight.

Rey’s head popped up from the floor. ‘It’s the motivator. Not good if we want to live. Grab me a Harris wrench. Over there,’ she pointed at a chest against the wall before her head disappeared back under the floor.

‘They’re hunting us now,’ Finn hauled the chest to the opening and unlocked it. He threw some stuff that didn’t qualify as a wrench aside. ‘We need to get out of this system.’ The Order wouldn’t be stuck on trying to find Ren for long. Not if BB-8 had the map to Skywalker. They just decimated an entire settlement to get to it.

‘BB-8 said the location of your base is “need-to-know”,’ Rey said from under the floor. ‘If I’m taking you there, I need to know.’

‘this it?’ Finn tossed her something that could be a Harris wrench. She popped up and took it before diving down again. He crawled over to BB-8. ‘You’ve got to tell us where the base is.’

The droid looked up, cocking his head, and beeped something.

‘I don’t speak that,’ he whispered, looking back to see whether Rey was reaching for her staff. She was not, thank the Force. ‘Alright between us,’ he continued in a low voice. ‘I’m not with the resistance, Okay? I’m just trying to get away from the First Order. But if you tell us where the base is, I’ll get us there first. Deal?’

BB-8 rolled back, giving Finn his version of wide eyes. Couldn’t Rey understand the beepy language?

‘Please,’ he whispered

‘Pilux Driver,’ Rey pooped up again, giving Finn a minor heart attack. ‘So where’s the base?’

‘Tell her,’ Finn reached for the pile of tools. The droid just stared at him, not making a beep. ‘Please,’ Finn tried again, waiting for Rey to smack him in the head all over again. BB-8 looked over to Rey and beeped. Rey’s head popped up once more, not looking pleased. It might be time to start running.

‘The illeenium system,’ Rey exclaimed. Finn let out a sigh and tossed her a driver, which may or may not be a Pilux driver.

‘That’s the one,’ he feigned certainty while trying to recall where exactly the Illeenium was located.

‘I'll drop you two at Ponemah Terminal. I need the bonding tape, hurry,’ she shouted from the hole. ‘I need to get back to Jakku.’

‘Back to Jakku,’ Finn echoed, ‘why does everyone want to get back to Jakku?’ Kylo had said exactly one useful thing in the TIE fighter. Going back to Jakku is moronic. Finn was planning on taking that advice.

‘Not that one,’ Rey said when he handed her something that looked like tape. ‘that one.’ What was she pointing at? There was an entire pile over there.

He threw aside anything that wasn’t tape. In the meantime. Rey was describing a lovely picture of what would happen if he didn’t hurry up. Poisoned gas didn’t even sound that bad at the moment.

‘This?’ he held up something sticky. It didn’t exactly look like tape, but nothing else in the pile did either. She took it and disappeared back into the hole. ‘You’re a pilot. Why go back?’ You’ve got a family? a cute boyfriend?’

‘None of your business, that’s why,’ Rey glared over the edge of the hole. Where was she keeping that stick again?

A shudder went through the ship. All the lights went out, engulfing in near complete darkness.

It was official. The universe hated him.

* * *

 

 

 

‘Do you honestly think they’ll take you back?’ Snoke mocked from the void surrounding Ben.

‘Leave me alone,’ he shouted. His voice deflected from the boundless darkness.

‘You’re a monster and they know it,’ Snoke continued, ‘you have nowhere to go.’

‘Shut up,’ he shouted, trying to find a way out. But no matter how much he fought, his legs remained immovable, frozen in their place.

‘Only I will help you,’ Snoke emerged from the nothingness, approaching slowly but intently.

‘Get away from me,’ Ben screamed, failing to calm his voice. He tried to get away, but his muscles refused to work. Colours sprung into existence around him, twisting through the void. Shifting and turning, the colours formed solid shapes. Pain shot through his back. He was in the throne room again. On his knees.

‘Return and all will be forgiven,’ Snoke extended his hand, ‘you’ll be welcomed back.’

Sharp throbs shot through Ben’s skull, like knives. Like something forcing its way in. He tried to calm his mind to no avail. Ragged thoughts raced through his head, making it feel like it would explode. Snoke was right. His parents abhorred him. Luke feared him enough to kill him in his sleep. The republic would see him dead as well if given the chance. If he turned his back on the First Order, he would’ve nowhere left to go.

‘Nobody wanted you. No one cared for you,’ Snoke continued, calmly bringing his hand to Ben’s cheek. ‘but I took you in. I protected you. I gave your life purpose.’

‘Don’t touch me,’ Ben jumped to his feet. His muscles finally back under his control.

‘Nobody could care for someone like you,’ Snoke sneered, ‘they would all kill you if they could.’

‘Liar,’ Ben said, backing away. his voice wavered. The image of a woman gently urging him to drink flashed in front of his eyes. A figure from his distant past lifting him from the sand, regardless of his own survival appeared in his mind. The memory of a single soldier facing down Snoke to give him the small comfort of something to hide behind resurfaced.

‘You’re lying,’ Ben repeated, his voice steady now.

‘Yes, he is,’ a reassuring presence emerged beside him. No longer an apparition, his hair was now blond, like Luke’s. Grandfather stood tall, his eyes fierce and filled with rage.

‘You,’ Snoke bit, moving back. His face contorted with hatred.

‘Leave,’ Grandfather commanded. ‘this family has suffered enough under the darkness.’ The walls came down around them. The entire throne room crumbled, the very shape of it falling apart.

‘Heed my words, Kylo Ren,’ Snoke snapped, ‘this is not over. You will return to me.’ For the first time ever, Ben saw fear in his expression.

‘Enough,’ Grandfather said, waving his hand in a brushing motion. Snoke vanished in an instant, not leaving a single trace of his presence.

‘He will be back,’ Grandfather said as his presence flickered, ‘I cannot keep him at bay forever.’ The world shook.

‘Wake up,’ a distant voice called. ‘Ben.’

‘Be ready,’ Grandfather urged before disappearing as well.

Ben forced his eyes open, barely registering that they’d been closed. He squinted as light filled his vision. Two faces came into focus when his eyes adjusted, both hoovering over them. The world stopped shaking.

 

* * *

 


	6. The road home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fixed:)

‘Chewie, we’re home,’ a grin spread over Han’s face as he walked back into the familiar hallway. Both he and Chewie held their guns ready in case it came to a fight. The ship hadn’t flown itself over here.

He gestured for Chewie to split off. They’d cover more ground that way and they were both more than capable of dealing with whatever nitwits thought they could just parade the Falcon around without any kind of cover. Despite the threat of imminent battle, warmth rose in Han’s chest when he searched the rooms. He hadn’t expected to ever see it again. By the time he met up with Chewie in the cockpit, neither of them had found a living soul. None of the escape pods had launched before they shut off the power, so where had the crew gone?

The sound of metal hitting metal coming from the maintenance hatch answered the question for him. He gestured at Chewie to open it up while he brought his blaster into position. Chewie tossed the solid metal grating aside like a sheet.

Two kids with gas masks and a droid were underneath, tinkering with the engines and obviously having no idea what they were doing. They were going to break the motivator that way. The entire Falcon would be flooded with poison gas.On second thought, they might know that after all, especially given the gas masks. Not a bad strategy, actually.

‘Where are the other?’ Han demanded, ‘where’s the pilot?’ He sure hoped they hadn’t left these kids behind to stall while all the grown-ups escaped. That would be a cheap move.

‘I’m the pilot,’ the girl held her arms in the air.

‘They’re lying,’ Chewie said. ‘There have to be others.’

‘It’s true,’ the girl yelled. ‘We’re the only ones on board.’ Technically it was possible. He and Chewie had flown the Falcon with just the two of time for years. But these were just children. Whatever the case, this was getting them nowhere. He put his blaster down.

‘You can understand that thing?’ the other kid asked, referring to Chewie with the usual ignorance.

‘And that thing can understand you,’ Han knocked the kid down a peg. ‘come on out of there.’ The kids climbed out of the hatch. The droid followed by the use of a cable.

Why did they keep putting gadgets into droids to make up for the absence of limbs when they could just give the droids limbs?

‘Where did you get this ship?’ he asked when the kids rose to their feet.

‘Niima outpost,’ the girl said.

‘Jakku? That junkyard?’ The one place they hadn’t bothered looking because it was the very definition of nowhere and the Falcon had been there. It was a wonder it wasn’t stripped to the hull. Scraps torn from shipwrecks were the only resource the entire damn sand ball had going for it.

‘Thank you. Junkyard,’ boy agreed, oddly passionate about it.

‘Who had it? Ducain?’ Han ignored him. He wasn’t here to discuss holiday destinations.

‘I stole it from Unkar Plutt,’ the girl said. Han didn’t know who Unkar Plutt was, but he was beginning to like this girl. ‘he stole it from the Irving Boys, who stole it from Ducain.’

‘Well, you can tell him Han Solo took the Falcon back. For good.’ Han turned around, taking in the state of the Falcon. It needed some fixing up, but it would be just fine. The extra spots and rust actually added something to the Falcon’s spirit.

The kids were debating history while he looked around. He decided not to join in and went for the cockpit.

‘Twelve parsecs,’ he shouted back when the girl got it wrong. ‘pfff, fourteen.’ What would’ve been impressive about fourteen?

His heart skipped a beat when he sat down in the pilot’s seat. It was exactly as he remembered. Only the golden dice that had won him the Falcon were missing. The loss of it dwarfed next to the joy of finally having his home back. Still, the memory of big brown eyes locked unto it in awe and adoration surfaced. He pushed it down. Dwelling on the past wouldn’t bring his little boy back. Something on the control panel caught his attention. It hadn’t been there last time. He took a closer look. Oh, come on. ‘Some moof-milker put a compressor on the ignition line,’ he stormed back to the others. ‘It puts too much pressure on the-‘

‘Hyperdrive,’ the girl interrupted. The kid seemed to know her stuff. She might’ve actually flown the Falcon here if she’d figured that out on her own.

‘Chewie, throw them in a pod,’ he said. ‘we’ll drop them off at the nearest inhabited planet.’

‘Wait, we need your help,’ the girl protested.

‘My help?’ Han shook his head and walked away. Fat chance. He’d drop them off and that would be the end of it.

‘This droid has to get to the resistance base as soon as possible. He’s carrying a map that leads to Luke Skywalker,’ the girl stalked after him.

Han froze in his spot. No one had seen or heard from Luke in six years. Ever since-. he shook the thought.

‘You are the Han Solo that fought with the Rebellion. You knew him,’ the other kid stated the obvious. Were there any other Han Solos piloting the Millennium Falcon out there?

‘Yeah. I knew him,’ he sighed, ‘I knew Luke.’ This conversation was going to be a drag.

A loud clanking noise saved him from it but indicated something much worse.

‘Don’t tell me a Rathar has gotten loose,’ Han hurried back to the freighter they’d come with. He’d preferred the conversation

‘You’re not hauling Rathars on this freighter, right?’ the boy asked in a panic.

‘I’m hauling Rathars,’ Han broke the suspension. He checked the surveillance screens. Good news; the Rathars were safely where he had left them. Bad news; his business partners were knocking down the front door.

‘What’s a Rathar?’ the girl asked Han rushed through the hallways. Both the kids and the droid were following after him. Chewie closed the line with his bowcaster ready.

‘They’re big and dangerous,’ Han explained. He hadn’t really looked into it himself, but he definitely remembered the nasty, slimy tentacles slashing at him. The boy interrupted with a vague history lesson that concluded in the girl still not knowing what a Rathar was.

‘I got three of them going to the king of Prana,’ Han continued.

‘How did you get them on board?’ the boy asked in disbelief. Han had wondered that himself a few times.

‘Used to have a bigger crew.’ he still shivered at the onslaught the beasts had havocked upon them. He didn’t get to reminisce about it. A hatch on the other end of the corridor opened up on its own accord. The Guavian death gang was waiting for them on the other side. Or to be more precise, mostly just for him.

‘Get below deck and stay there until I say so,’ he instructed the kids, ‘and don’t think about taking the falcon.’ The kids wouldn’t be getting far if they tried, but it would still be a hassle.

‘What about BB-8?’ the girl asked before climbing down.

‘He stays with me,’ Han decided, ‘until I get rid of the gang. Then you can have him back and be on your way.’ The death gang wouldn’t care about the droid and it couldn’t hurt to have some insurance.

‘Where are you keeping the Rathars?’ the boy asked. Tentacles hitting the glass of the door behind them was enough of an answer for the kid to scram.

‘What are you going to do?’ the girl asked before following her pal.

‘What I always do,’ Han said, ‘talk my way out of it.’

‘You never do,’ Chewie grunted.

‘Yes, I do, every time.’ He wouldn’t be standing here if he hadn’t.

 

* * *

 

 

‘Leave me alone,’ Ben screamed hysterically, aimlessly kicking around.

‘Easy there,’ Poe said as he tried to hold him up for Kina, as the woman had introduced herself, to look at the wounds. ‘We’re just trying to help.’ He didn’t think Ben could hear him but it was worth a shot.

‘How did you not know about this?’ Kina asked while she put some blue substance on the burns, careful to avoid touching the blood-filled blisters.

‘He didn’t tell me.’ Poe said, ‘Looking back, I’m pretty sure he was hiding it from me.’ it would explain that ridiculous situation with the cloak.

‘Get away from me,’ Ben kicked some more, nearly throwing Poe over.

‘So you have no idea how this happened?’ Kina frowned in concentration. ‘it looks like he lost a wrestling match with a bunch of live wires.’

‘Shut up,’ Ben screeched, trying to wrestle loose. Poe gave up on trying to hold him up and lied him down on his stomach, pinning his arms down above his head.

‘I meant no offense,’ Kina said dryly, adjusting her position. ‘But seriously? You don’t know what happened?’

‘Not a clue,’ Poe shook his head. ‘I didn’t even know he would be on the ship. He just kind of popped up.’

‘Fascinating. Hold him still,’ she said as Ben motioned to roll over. Poe didn’t know a lot about medical care, but he knew you weren’t supposed to lie on open wounds. Especially not on a sand-covered floor in a musty truck in the middle of a desert. He put his knee on Ben’s shoulder, holding him pinned in his place.

‘Don’t touch me,’ Ben yelled, although much calmer this time and without the kicking. Whether it was specifically aimed at him or at some figment of Ben’s imagination, Poe ignored him. it was for his own good.

‘Does he ever shut up?’ Kina asked while pulling some supplies from a crate. She opened a package. The contents rolled out and puffed up in a white, rectangular lump.

‘Don’t know. I haven’t seen him in years,’ Poe said. ‘What’s that?’

‘They’re usually for sunburns, but they’ll do.’ She spread the mass out on Ben’s back. It bubbled before adhering to the skin, forming a protective layer. ‘they were designed with blisters in mind.’

‘Neat,’ Poe leaned over to take a look. The shapes of the blisters were still visible under the bandages.

‘It contains a pretty strong anesthetic too. Unless he has anymore surprise injuries, your pal should wake up any moment now,’ she sat down and leaned back. ‘You said you haven’t seen him in years, right?’

‘Yup.’ Poe moved his knee off Ben’s shoulder. The guy had gotten a lot calmer. No more thrashing about.

‘And he just shows up in your ship unannounced?’ Kina raised an eyebrow, ‘he couldn’t have sent a message first?’

‘Well, uh, you see,’ Poe cursed internally, ‘there was a mix-up. Uhm Yes, a mix-up. It was all one big mix-up.’

‘Liar,’ Ben muttered conveniently.

‘Resistance or First Order?’ Kina asked with a smirk.

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ he stammered, ‘I’ve got nothing to do with either.’

‘You’re lying,’ Ben said in a low voice, but with full conviction.

Poe sighed. Couldn’t Ben wake up some other time?

‘So?’ Kina cocked her head, not pulling out a blaster and altogether staying impressively calm.

‘Resistance,’ Poe said, closely watching her reaction. There was no point in denying it. He had already talked himself into a corner.

‘Good thing were driving away from Niima outpost then,’ Kina said, taking her shawl down from her head and draping it around her shoulders.

‘What’s in Niima outpost?’

‘Stormtroopers, TIE fighters, airstrikes and all that,’ Kina shrugged, ‘I’d ask if you had anything to do with that, but you were heading towards the outpost. Not very smart if you just escaped an airstrike. Also there was something about a droid and you don’t have one with you.’

‘What droid?’ Poe jerked his head up.

‘A BB-unit.’ Kina moved over and reached for Ben. ‘Help me get him up. he should be waking up about now.’

Poe simply turned Ben over and pulled him in a sitting position before his back could touch the floor. It was a lot easier now he didn’t struggle.

‘Slowly, I meant,’ Kina pulled her hand back.

Ben’s breath was still rapid and shallow, his eyes still shut. He wasn’t even making a sound anymore.

‘Ben,’ Poe shook him. Kina said he should be waking up. Why wasn’t he? Did they miss something? Ben’s head fell to the side.

‘Oh, I guess he’s still out of it,’ Kina frowned, ‘that’s weird.’

‘Wake up. Ben,’ Poe called, shaking him harder. Leia would be waiting for them.

Ben’s eyes shot open. They fluttered a few times then he looked straight at them. Poe slowly let go off him. He didn’t fall over.

‘What do you remember?’ Kina asked, articulating each word carefully.

‘Sand,’ Ben pouted, ‘I hate sand.’

‘That makes two of us,’ Kina chuckled.

‘Where are we going?’ Ben stared around the cargo space.

‘Blowback town.’ Kina said. ‘I’m Kina, by the way. Hey.’ She waved sarcastically.

‘What?’ Ben looked at her with open mouth and a shimmer of a grin.

Poe grabbed his arm. This wasn’t some fun trip. They had serious business to deal with. ‘why didn’t you tell me?’

‘What?’ Ben repeated, pouting some more.

‘About you being grilled,’ he snapped. ‘What happened?’

‘That’s none of your business,’ Ben pulled his arm loose. ‘And stop grabbing my arm.’

‘Oh, you’ve got complaints now too?’ Poe asked. ‘Next time you fall over, I’m going to leave you there.’

‘I never asked for your help,’ Ben shrugged.

‘You little-,’ Poe began.

‘Guys,’ Kina interrupted, raising her hand. ‘Can I guess what happened?’

‘Who are you?’ Ben asked. ‘Besides Kina.’

‘The person who is going to get you away from those First Order clowns,’ Kina said. ‘You can get a ship in Blowback town.’

Ben moved to jump up, stopping halfway when he realised he was still human deep fry. Poe pushed him back down, ignoring his perpetual pouting.

‘Don’t worry,’ Kina said, ‘I’ll be glad to help anyone bother those pests.’ Ben’s face fell. He blinked a few times.

‘You said something about a BB-unit?’ Poe interrupted the awkward exchange before Ben did something stupid.

‘One of Unkar Plutt’s scavengers, called Rey, and some other guy escaped with a BB-unit aboard a stolen freighter,’ she explained, ‘The First Order leveled half Niima outpost trying to get them.’

‘That must’ve been BB-8.’ Poe yelled. ‘Did he get away?’

‘He got off the planet. Was that your droid?’ Kina turned her head to look him in the eyes, studying.

Poe couldn’t suppress a smile. His little buddy was fine. He straightened his face and nodded when Kina narrowed her eyes.

‘That should save you the trouble,’ Ben muttered. Definitely leaving him next time.

‘But were you undercover?’ Kina asked. Ben gaped at her and shook his head, stunned. His expression was hilarious, but this might become a problem. Someone who so openly opposed the First Order wouldn’t appreciate Kylo Ren sitting in the back of their vehicle. Where did that dumbass name even come from, anyway?

‘No?’ Kina furrowed her brow a little. ‘Did you desert? I heard there was some ruckus going on with the Order. Not sure what it was about, though. You’ve got anything to do with it?’

Ben opened his mouth to answer but closed it again, chewing on his lower lip. Poe tried to think of anything to say that might get him out of this one, but Kina already nodded her head in realisation.

‘I won’t judge,’ she said to Poe’s surprise. He had expected blasters to get involved right about now. ‘You’re not the first I met who was running from the First Order. Dad served them for years before realising their true nature.’ She pointed at the driver’s cabin.

‘You’re right,’ Ben stated, ‘I am- I was with the First Order. I got out because I had to.’

‘So they did that to you?’ Poe asked, gesturing in Ben’s general direction. He was practically one big burn.

‘Yeah,’ Ben looked away. No wonder he was running.

‘I see,’ Kina twisted the corner of her shawl between her fingers.

‘I won’t report you or your father,’ Ben interrupted her. ‘you saved my life. You had no reason to do so.’ So now he decided to show a little gratitude.

‘Normal people don’t leave others to die when they can help it. Not everyone is like the First Order,’ Kina said. ‘I hope you see them for what they truly are now.’

‘The First Order is bringing peace and stability to the universe,’ Ben argued, confirming what he had said. He hadn’t gotten out because he had seen what was wrong with the First Order, but because he was forced too. A good enough reason, but it did complicate matters. The news he had to bring Leia wouldn’t be as good as he might’ve hoped.

‘That’s why they did that to your back?’ Kina asked, ‘for peace and stability?’ Ben didn’t answer. He didn’t even look at her. You’d think anyone raised by Leia would have better manners.

‘Let me tell you a story,’ she continued, ignoring Ben’s interjections, ‘a soldier, a stormtrooper, was tasked with retrieving a spy gathering intel on a resistance uprising in a mining colony. He found her in enemy territory, but she refused to leave.

What she’d seen had shaken her beliefs. The resistance wasn’t just criminals as they had told her. They were just people fighting for survival like anyone would. Good people who suffered for their freedom. Who fought for what they loved. The stormtrooper thought it absurd, it defied everything he knew.

You probably know, but the First Order trains their stormtroopers, as well as most officers, from birth to believe their every word.’

‘It’s a necessary evil,’ Ben interrupted, ‘Personal conflict only gets in the way of doing what needs to be done.’

‘Yeah, independent thought’s scary, right?’ Kina said wryly before continuing her story, ‘the stormtrooper didn’t believe her, so the spy made him see for himself. He could not deny what she had told him. So he convinced the two sides to cooperate to reach their respective goals, the wellbeing of the populace and the mining production, which worked out better for both sides, even if the situation wasn’t ideal. Until the higher-ups caught wind of it and ordered the annihilation of the resistance. Many refused and were ordered to be killed as well.A struggle broke out, leading to an all-out battle. Resistance, First Order, and civilians were massacred alike. When the dust finally settled, corpses covered the streets.The stormtrooper and the spy were among the few survivors.They had defeated the First Order this time, but they would be hunted forever. So they fled alongside the other survivors to the outer rims, forever escaping the Order’s grasp,’ she concluded her story.

‘Their weakness caused this,’ Ben said, ‘had they been strong enough not to let themselves be led astray by sentimentality, all this harm would’ve been prevented.’ Poe felt an ache in his throat at these words. How could Leia’s son have become such a fanatic? Of course, he had been a gloomy, prickly kid, but this was just completely wrong.

‘What would’ve done that harm if not for the First Order?’ Kina bit with ferocity, ‘and that sentimentality you speak of is what most would call a conscience.’

Ben seemed to hesitate, but then said with utmost confidence, ‘the First Order will bring peace to the universe, whatever means necessary. Their cause is righteous.’

Poe considered trying to knock some sense into that thick skull but he figured that was Leia’s job.

‘What was their reason for frying you? it must’ve been a good one,’ Kina argued. Ben developed a sudden interest in the floor.

‘They did,’ he muttered, ‘I was weak.’ Poe wondered if the general would mind if he took over her job for a bit.

‘If you really think so, then why are you here?’ Kina asked, making a good point.

‘My grandfather told me to,’ Ben said, baffling all currently present. Did Ben even have a grandfather besides the old empire’s masked wardog?

‘Okay, whatever,’ Kina gave up and turned to Poe, ‘we’ll get you a ship and send you on your way, but his nutjob needs a better disguise.’


	7. Crossed wires

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixed:)

‘They have blasters,’ Rey peeked through the floorboards.

‘A lot of them,’ Finn added unnecessarily. She could count. In the meantime, Han was failing miserably at talking his way out of it. They had to do something. The gangs had taken notice of BB-8. They’d be running to the First Order the first chance they got. No doubt there was a good reward on BB-8 head as well as theirs.

‘-and two fugitives,’ the gang member with the accent said. They definitely had to do something now. But what? She couldn’t exactly jump out and smack people. They’d blast her at sight.

The junction box they passed as they tried to find a way out gave her an idea.

‘If we close the blast doors in that corridor, we can trap both gangs,’ she lifted the cover from the box.

‘From here?’

‘Resetting the fuses should do it,’ she’d taken things like these apart and put them back together several times. All blast doors where connected to the nearest junction box. She pressed the fuse in the middle. That cable should go straight up to the doors above. A spark flew up and the sound of screeching metal went up. She looked up to admire her handy work. Her face fell when she realised the middle cable was curving to the right.

‘Oh no,’ she realised out loud. The one on the left had been the one going straight up.

‘What?’ Finn looked over the junction box with a frown.

‘Wrong fuses,’ she had just released those Rathar thingies. Inhuman growls and blaster fire mixed together in a deafening clamour. They didn’t stick around to wait what would happen and resumed their crawling.

‘This was a mistake,’ Finn reminded helpfully.

‘Huge,’ Rey agreed. She threw open the first hatch she could find and climbed on the deck. Finn followed immediately after and together they ran for their lives.

‘What do they look like?’ Rey asked nearly out of breath. That tentacle hitting the window back in the hall didn’t promise anything nice and fuzzy. More like slimy and nasty.

‘Like that,’ Finn screamed as they turned a corner. A giant ball of tentacles and teeth was lifting a man off the floor, bringing him to its row of teeth. Throwing the man into his mouth, the creature devoured him whole.

Finn turned on his feet, dragging her along as she was frozen in her place like a sand hare facing a ripper-raptor.

‘This way,’ he yelled when she started running on her own.

‘Are you sure?’

Before he could answer, a large, disgusting, disgusting green tentacle reached for Finn, lifting him off the floor and carrying him off.

‘Finn,’ she screamed at the top of her lungs, racing after him. Her heartbeat in her throat and blood rushed in her ears. Her feet thumped on the floorboards, but the Rathar was simply too fast. She lost sight of Finn.

She needed another strategy fast or Finn would be monster chew. There was a control panel in the hallway she just passed. At least, she’d know where the monster was taking Finn. She ran back, rapidly eying the screens when she got to the panel.

The Rathar was approaching a blast door, Finn still squished in its slimy limbs.

She bided her time, waiting for the Rathar to pass the blast door with Finn trailing behind it. At the exact right moment she slammed a button, causing the blast door to come down. The correct blast door this time. The nasty tentacle was sliced in half, freeing Finn. He fell to the floor, trying to shake the severed monster limb off him. Rey sprinted to his side.

‘It had me, but the door-,’ he stammered when he saw her.

‘That was lucky,’ she said, dragging him to the Falcon. Han could say what he wanted. They were taking that ship.

Han was already in the Hangar helping the Wookie unto the ramp. That solved that problem. They couldn’t be taking the Falcon from him if he was on the ship. Also, he was probably a better pilot than she was.

‘You close the door,’ he instructed her when they caught up with him. ‘You, take care of Chewie,’ he shoved the injured Wookie into Finn who didn’t seem to appreciate the arrangement and ran off.

She waited until everyone had gotten unto the ship, shut the doors and raced after Han, having remembered another one of Plutt’s little additions.

 

* * *

 

 

‘Continue constructing the remaining route and search the outpost again,’ Hux ordered the officer on the other side of the screen. ‘Question every civilian you can find. Ren could not have disappeared on his own.’

‘As you wish, Sir,’ the officer answered, ‘although I don’t believe we’ll find anything more at this point.’

‘Increase pressure on the local populace. Let them know what happens to those that oppose the First Order,’ Hux instructed. Wherever Ren was hiding, they’d smoke him out. Civilians wouldn’t help him once their daily lives were at risk.

‘Very well,’ the officer saluted.

‘Dismissed,’ Hux said. The face disappeared from the screen. He checked the next call on the list. Some bounty hunter. They were a dozen a dime. This one claimed to have essential information. They all did.

‘State your business,’ he opened the call, hoping to have it dealt with as soon as possible.

‘It’s about the droid you’re looking for,’ the new face whispered as if he was sharing gossip in the back of a lowly bar. He had an accent Hux couldn’t quite place.

‘Do you know where it is?’ Hux asked. he had more urgent matters to deal with. The map to Skywalker falling into the hands of the resistance would be problematic, but not quite as much as Ren being on the loose. The resistance would still need to retrieve Skywalker, which would delay them significantly. Besides, unlike Ren, Skywalker could perhaps be reasoned with. If not, Hux had a foolproof contingency plan.

‘There’s a reward, I’ve heard?’ the man asked.

‘If your intel is as useful as you’ve promised, you’ll get your reward. ‘now speak up.’

The man described the events that had occurred. Most of it was of little consequence. He described the droid exactly like his troops had, but the location where it had gone was unclear. The only point of interest had been the presence of an old rebellion general. If this bounty hunter’s story checked out, the droid was now in the hands of Han Solo, the pilot who had greatly contributed to the fall of the empire. It was another layer of complications in an already unmanageable situation.

‘The First Order thanks you for your assistance. We will contact you when we’ve verified your intel.’ Hux ended the call. He would need to inform the Supreme leader.

 

‘The droid has been sighted on the Millenium Falcon in the hands of the former general Han Solo.’ Hux reported to the hologram that was the Supreme leader. ‘their current location is unknown. It is probable they are still traveling through hyperspace and on their way to the resistance. Do you wish for me to continue prioritising the search for Ren or is recovering the map of more urgency?’

‘Are you sure that Ren was not aboard the Millenium Falcon?’ Snoke asked.

Hux had already stated more than clearly that that scenario was precluded. How the presence of some old-time general was supposed to change that, was beyond him. He did, however, know better than to voice that thought.

‘He has not been sighted in the outpost and we’ve been able to confirm that the other route was followed by two individuals,’ he said instead. ‘It must’ve been him and the prisoner. By all accounts, he has to still be on Jakku.’

‘Fascinating how everything tends to come together,’ Supreme leader mused, ‘you’ll have no trouble doing both. On the contrary, this will work in our favour.’

‘Supreme leader, I’m afraid I don’t understand.’ How could this possibly work in their favour? Retrieving the droid from a deserter and some girl would’ve been easy enough. Retrieving it from a veteran would take more effort

‘You must’ve heard the rumours, General.’

‘Rumours, yes,’ Hux admitted, ‘unlikely as they are.’ He heard plenty and he had suppressed each and every one of them by the Snoke’s orders. Yet one kept rearing its head no matter how many times he had squashed it.

‘Unlikely, perhaps. But that does not make it untrue,’ Snoke leaned back in his throne. ‘tell me what you’ve heard.’

‘Ben Solo, the missing son of Leia Organa and Han Solo,’ he scoffed. ‘Surely, this can’t be true.’

‘It is,’ Hux said. ‘It’s a weakness he has never been able to rid himself off. He will eventually seek out his parents.’

‘Both are with the resistance,’ Hux was perplexed. What was the son of the leader of the resistance doing in their ranks? Why had Supreme leader allowed such entanglements? Whatever the case, the identity of Ren’s parents would do the man no good. ‘they won’t have him, especially General Organa. She won’t risk her precious resistance.’

‘Perhaps,’ Snoke looked down at him. ‘But the droid will lead you to Ren.’

‘It might’ve fallen into the hands of the enemy by then,’ Hux said. It was too great of a risk. If they allowed anymore delay, Ren and Skywalker might join forces. Uncle and nephew apparently. The contingency plan might not suffice any longer.

‘See to it that it does not happen, General,’ Snoke said as the hologram flickered and disappeared.

Hux let out a sigh when Snoke was gone. The task he had been given was an impossible one.

 

* * *

 

 

Face it,’ Kina dumped a pile of clothes she’d pulled from a box, on his lap, ‘Either that or you’re an idiot or a complete psychopath. Possibly both.’

Kylo looked at the pile of grey fabric then scanned the cargo space. Several boxes and crates were scattered around, both none would provide enough cover.

‘No privacy in here,’ Kina bit at him. Her nose was crooked in two different directions, bent in the middle. Like it had been broken once or twice, at least. Her knuckles were scarred as well. Best not to pick another fight with her.

He shrugged and pulled the light grey tunic over his head and secured the belt that came with it. The skin on his back stretched painfully with the movement, but it was nowhere near what it had been. He subtly took the gold dice from his pocket and placed them underneath the tunic, using the belt to hold them in their place.

The trousers were made of the same, but slightly darker than the tunic. He quickly switched them with his own, glad that underwear was a thing in space.

‘Those are my brother’s,’ Kina threw him a dirty look, ‘he’s with the resistance.’

‘Good for you,’ he snapped back at her. Not provoking her was one thing, but he wasn’t about to let her taunt him the entire ride to whatever town she said she was taking them.

‘Well, at least you’re not that Hux general,’ she scoffed, ‘my brother would come all the way here just to complain.’ Kylo didn’t respond to that. He also thought it fortunate he wasn’t Hux.

Kina scowled at the lack of response and jumped up, picking up his discarded clothing. Something clanked on the floor when she grabbed the belt.

‘I still need that,’ he reached for his light saber, silently cursing himself. Kina frowned at him, but tossed the saber, probably unaware of what it was. She didn’t seem to like him enough to be knowingly had him a weapon. He secured it under his belt, like he had the dice.

‘You almost look normal now,’ Dameron joked, leaning against a stack of crates.

‘I hope you’re not still planning on finding your droid,’ Kylo cut to the chase.

‘There’s no way to know where that freighter went,’ Poe admitted, ‘the resistance should’ve better luck tracking them than I would.’ Finally, the man made some sense.

‘The First Order will be looking for me by now,’ Kylo said, ‘we need to move quickly.’

‘Are you sure they noticed already?’ Dameron asked, ‘It has only been a couple of hours since we crashed and they didn’t know you were on board, did they?’

‘No, of course they didn’t know, but remember that cannon I blew up?’

‘Yeah,’ Poe nodded. ‘we blew up a lot of stuff.’

‘Yes, with cannon fire. I blew that one up without cannons,’ Kylo pointed out. ‘unless they wrote that off as a convenient technical error, they’ll know. If not, they’ll have found the tracker and they’ll still know.’

‘Tracker?’ Dameron asked.

‘There was one in my belt. I hid it under my mattress,’ Kylo explained.

‘That should keep them busy for a while,’ Poe laughed.

‘No, it won’t,’ Kylo said, ‘Hux might be a rigid moron, but he’ll notice whether a bed is empty or not.’

‘There’s a hole in here,’ Kin interrupted, holding up his belt. A bunch of wires hung from where he had torn out the tracker. He hadn’t had the time or the interest to do it carefully. ‘By the way, how did you blow up a cannon without another cannon?’

‘With willpower,’ Kylo said. He wasn’t lying, in a sense.

‘Did you knock your head on the way down or are you always like this?’

‘Always like that,’ Dameron said, not minding his own business enough.

‘Alright, I know it’s difficult, but try to answer the next one normally,’ Kina threw his old clothes into a crate. ‘Why did you have a tracker on you?’

‘Because they couldn’t keep up with me and they wanted to know where I was,’ Kylo shrugged. Hux had given some long, boring speech about accountability and protocol. He hadn’t really listened. He had been too busy trying to pick poison darts out of his cloak. It wasn’t his fault Hux’s troops had shown up twenty minutes late and the natives had attacked while he had gone ahead to explore the temple. He hadn’t even found anything besides the poison darts. The poison hadn’t been anything special either. It just came from a local snake.

‘I’m going to stop trying,’ Kina said. She looked up when the truck slowed down. Fear broke through her expression when the truck stopped completely.

‘Exit the vehicle,’ a voice called from the front of the vehicle.

‘Nothing in there, officer,’ a man, Kina’s father probably, called back, ‘just bringing my children and nephew home.’

Kylo understood the lie; Dameron could pass for Kina’s sister, he did not. Still, he felt a pang of anger, and even if he would never say it out loud, fear when Luke crossed his mind.

Kina gestured for them to be quiet. Kylo hunched over, hiding his face as much as possible. It wasn’t much.

Even within the Order, few had seen his face, he hoped these soldiers hadn’t, or at least not good enough to recognise him at a glance.

‘I don’t understand the fuss,’ Kina’s father complained loudly, ‘you think I’ve got an army of resistance fighters in the back?’

‘We’re just following orders,’ the other voice said. The tarp at the back was torn aside, a stormtrooper appeared in the opening.

‘Is something wrong?’ Kina asked innocently.

‘Everyone, exit the vehicle. We’re monitoring everyone passing through.’

Of course they were, they likely had the entire planet covered. There had been no escaping it. Kylo turned his face away as much as possible without seeming suspicious. He assured himself his lightsaber was still in place.

None of them moved at first as if it would make the trooper go away.

‘Get out of this vehicle,’ the trooper repeated, aiming his blaster. Kylo and Dameron both got up, keeping their heads down. Kina glared straight at the trooper on her way out. The trooper pretended to not see it and climbed into the cargo space as soon as Kylo jumped back into the sand.

The trooper shoved aside the boxes and crates, throwing some over in the process. Kylo’s old shirt fell unto the floor. The trooper didn’t even look at it. When he didn’t find somewhere large enough to plausibly hide a human being or Poe’s droid, he jumped back out of the truck and aimed his blaster at them with no discernible reason.

‘Move it,’ he ordered, gesturing with his blaster. Kylo looked over at the direction the soldier indicated. A group of civilians were gathered beside the road, herded together like animals by armed guards. Vehicles cluttered the road, making any passage impossible. This was a set-up.

The trooper shoved Kylo towards the group.

‘What is this?’ Kina demanded, storming at the trooper.

‘Silence,’ the trooper snapped, waving his blaster again. Kina threw him a dirty look but walked to the group. Her eyes went wide as she turned. She rushed away, supporting an old man when she reached the group of prisoners. Kylo vaguely remembered him from the cargo space. It must be been her father.

He and Dameron slowly followed after her. Pulling attraction at themselves wouldn’t end well.

‘Have I seen you before?’ a trooper asked Poe when they joined the prisoners.

‘First time on Jakku?’

‘yes.’

‘Then you haven’t seen me before,’ Poe grinned, ‘I wouldn’t leave a planet as beautiful as this in my life.’

Kylo looked at him from the corner of his eyes. This wasn’t the time to crack jokes. The soldier shrugged and went back to duty. Kylo looked around. The guard’s formation was flawless. No way for them to sneak away.

‘Listen up,’ the squad captain announced loudly after a few minutes, ‘Several fugitives are passing through this area. We know they couldn’t have remained hidden without assistance. We have given the authorities an ultimatum. If they do not turn over the fugitives by nightfall, you will all be exterminated.

Frightened mutters rose up, escalating into desperate screams, pleading for mercy.

Kylo knew of this tactic, the old empire had created it. It was effective, even if it didn’t have the intended effect, it would set an example. He wouldn’t have enjoyed it, but he might have enforced it himself, had the need ever been there.

The sun was already setting; the time frame had been short. They must’ve been more desperate than he had realised.

He could compel the soldiers to let him and his companions go. It was a simple mind trick if you just got out of sight quickly enough. He looked around for an opening.

A little boy was sobbing into his mother’s side. A young girl clutched unto her brother, who was trying to calm her. Kina let her father lean on her. Kylo recalled her story. This situation was little different than the one she had spoken of. It might even end the same if he remained hidden for long enough. The First Order wouldn’t just stop after a single failure. The thoughts of just escaping ebbed away.

‘We need to do something,’ Poe whispered.

‘I’m working on it.’

‘Anytime now.’

Kylo remained silent as he considered all options. He wouldn’t get out of here without revealing himself, but getting away was still a possibility. He could turn himself in, wait until the hostages were released and fight his way out. The weight of his saber pressed against his skin.

Then he remembered a second part of the strategy. If they really wanted to set an example, and they would. They hostages would be eliminated, whether they found him or not. Still, the only other way would be to take out every single stormtrooper with the hostages still present. Confusion would be certain, the hostages may join the fight and everything would be out if his hands. It would, without doubt, be a repeat of Kina’s story.

‘Ready your blasters,’ the leader ordered his troopers. It wasn’t nightfall yet, this went faster than he had calculated for. Of course, they didn’t actually expect for him to turn up this way. It was all about setting an example.

‘whatever you’re going to do, do it now,’ Poe urged. The troopers were already in position, aiming at the screaming crowd. Kylo’s mind raced, but his plan fell apart.

Completely on instinct, he stopped the blasts, freezing them in mid-air. The troopers and their hostages gaped at the sight.

‘Here I am,’ he called, taking out his saber and activating it. The troopers flinched back at the sudden emergence of Kylo Ren.

‘what are you doing?’ Poe whisper snapped.

‘You will let these people go,’ he stated matter-of-factly, reaching into the outer layers of the mind of each Stormtrooper.

‘We will let these people go,’ they echoed like zombies.

‘Go, quick, go’ he heard Poe and Kina yell at the prisoners. People scrambled for their vehicles. The sounds of engines roared through the desert as they fled the scene.

‘Run to Snoke and tell him you’ve found me,’ he commanded the troopers, ‘tell him I’ve bested his forces, now leave.’

The soldiers walked away, towards the ships in the distance.

Dameron appeared besides him as the stormtroopers disappeared from sight, the ships ascending. Kylo put his saber away.

‘But finding Finn was too much?’ Dameron asked in awe.

‘It doesn’t work like that,’ Kylo reminded him as his vision went black. Poe stopped his fall. Kina appeared at his other side, steadying him further.

‘Dad, the truck,’ she called, dragging Kylo towards the cargo space. They helped him in. Poe pulled back the tarp and the vehicle tore off.

 


	8. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixed

 

‘Hey, where are you going?’ Han looked up from the navicomputer when the girl shot past him, making herself comfortable in the copilot’s seat.

‘Unkar Plutt installed a fuel pump too,’ the girl began messing with some switches he didn’t remember being there. ‘If we don’t prime that, we’re not going anywhere.’

‘I hate that guy,’ Han went for the pilot’s chair, having entered all coordinates. To Takodana it was. Maz would have something up her sleeve.

‘And you could use a co-pilot?’ the girl didn’t look up from the panel.

‘I’ve got one. He’s over there,’ Han pointed back to Chewie growling on a bench and not looking too good. Alright, the girl could do her thing.‘Watch the trust. We’re going out of here at lightspeed,’ he said while setting the navicomputer up and tugging at the switches, hoping that the new compressor wasn’t going to mess with his plan.

‘From inside the Hangar?’ the girl asked. ‘Is that even possible?’

‘I never ask that question until after I’ve done it,’ He said. A rathar smashing itself into the windshields prevented any further complaints from the girl. ‘This is not how I thought this day was going to go.’ He muttered to himself. He should’ve known something would turn up and ruin everything. It always did. ‘Angle the shields.’ The girl leaned back over the control panels and smashed buttons. The right ones as far as Han could see.The shields weren’t even up before blast rocked the Falcon. Whatever remained of the gangs had come out to play and were doing the Force knows what kind of damage. The Rathar was still chewing on the windshields in the meantime. ‘Come on, Baby,’ Han activated the engines and the hyperdrive simultaneously. ‘Don’t let me down.’ the Falcon shuddered, the engines roaring before falling still completely.

‘Compresser,’ the girl stated, flipping a switch. Han’s contempt for the being called Unkat Plutt knew no bounds.

The Falcon came to live again. He steered the ship of the floor before the hyperdrive could warm up. Going into hyperspace from inside the hangar was tricky enough. Doing so while still on the ground was plainly impossible.

The view behind the glass stretched out. Han was pressed into the back of his chair. The Rathar flew from the windshield, probably torn to pieces. The resistance behind the yoke fell away and the autopilot took over. They were in hyperspace. But that was not the end of it. Every single alarm on the control panel blinked red. All systems were overloading, including the hyperdrive, which they did need right now.

After surviving the Death gang, Kanjiclub and a bunch of hungry Rathars, they were going to be done in by the incompetence of the moof-milker Unkar Plutt. Who the hell puts a compressor on a hyperdrive?

Electrical overload,’ he announced the worst of the problems to his temporary co-pilot.

‘I can fix that,’ she bounced off her seat and pulled a slab of grating from the wall, reaching into the maintenance hatch.

‘Coolant’s leaking,’ he looked at the next worst problem. Combine that with overheating engines and half the Falcon would melt into a blob.

‘Try transferring the auxiliary to the-,’

‘Secondary tank,’ Han finished. ‘got it.’ he hated to admit it, but right now this girl now more about the Falcon’s engines than he did. Who knew what more surprises Plutt had left for him.

Chewie cried out in pain in the back, still hurting from his wound. If that wasn’t bad enough, the other kid was insulting him again.

‘If you hurt Chewie, you’re going to deal with me,’ Han shouted. The kid whined a bit, but went quiet within a few seconds, right after Chewie growled at him incoherently. He did that sometimes when people annoyed him. The results were hilarious every time. In the meantime, only one of the alarms had stopped blinking. All the other went on unbothered. The hyperdrive was still close to melting, which would’ve been a small inconvenience they could fix, had they not been in the middle of hyperspace. He had heard what happened when you went from lightspeed to complete power-down. It wasn’t pretty. ‘If this hyperdrive blows, there are going to be pieces of us in three different systems,’ he summarised to the girl. All alarms ceased before he had finished his sentence. The girl dropped back in her chair with a wide, satisfied grin. ‘What did you do?’ he asked, going over what she could’ve possibly done to get all systems to cool down at once. Not a single thing came to mind.

‘I bypassed the compressor,’ she said, holding up a piece of machinery, still smiling. He took a closer look and leaned back into his chair, managing a grin himself. That was the compressor. She had just torn out the damned thing in its entirety. It had been so simple and he hadn’t even thought of it.Shaking his head he pushed himself out of his chair and went to check up on Chewie.

‘Move it, ball,’ he nearly tripped over the little droid beeping around the place. Somehow it had managed to not to get blasted, eaten or caught. Time to get the little bleeper to Leia.

 

* * *

 

 

Don’t say that, you did great. Just rest,’ Han patted his copilot on the shoulder when Rey walked out of the cockpit. Chewie grumbled something about being shot by tiny amateurs. Finn sat on a bench nearby, leaning unto the game table.

‘Good job, kid,’ Han turned to Finn after inspecting the bandages. ‘And thanks.’ The last part came out a bit stiff, but it seemed genuine. The old guy was a piece of work.

‘You’re welcome,’ Finn leaned further unto the table, hitting a button in the process. Colourful holograms of small creatures emerged, all looking up at Finn questioningly. He nervously fidgeted with the controls, trying to shut it off again. He pushed every button except the one he needed. Rey watched in suppressed amusement as she let him struggle.

‘Fugitives, uh?’ Han began, looking at them carefully. He had not forgotten that little part. Maybe now was not the best time to tell him how she had almost rammed his ship into a wall. He didn’t really need to know she was the one who had set the Rathars free. It had been an accident.

‘The First Order want the map,’ she said instead. ‘Finn’s with the resistance. I’m just a scavenger.’

Han looked at Finn, taking him in from top to toe. He gave him a glance Rey couldn’t quite place. ‘Alright, let’s see what you got,’ he finally said.

‘Go ahead,’ she crouched down to BB-8 and urged him on. He rolled to the middle of the room and opened a hatch on his belly. A beam of light came out and covered the entire room in soft blue light. Stars and planets jumped around them. Rey let the beauty of it come over her. The galaxy was even better than she’d ever imagined it.

‘The map’s incomplete,’ Han said, studying it closely and frowning in concentration. ‘It’s just a piece.’

‘What,’ Finn exclaimed, finally having turned off the holograms. ‘All these near-death experiences and heart attacks and all for nothing.’ He jumped up. ‘If Ren’s hiding in the gunner’s position again, I’m going to throw a fit he would’ve been impressed by.’ Han jerked his head towards Finn, who fell silent and slunk back in his seat. ‘Never mind.’

‘What was that?’ Han asked, narrowing his eyes.

‘Nothing. It was nothing,’ Finn looked down at the game table. ‘It’s just been a long day.’

‘But what about Luke? Doesn’t anyone know where he is?’ Rey asked. She didn’t get the entire picture here. A few hours ago, he had been a myth to her. Now, everyone was looking for him. But someone had to know where he was. People didn’t just disappear without a trace. Especially someone as widely known as Luke Skywalker.

‘People have been looking for Luke ever since has gone missing,’ Han said, throwing suspicious looks at Finn every other second. ‘But no one has seen him.’

‘Why did he leave,’ she asked.

‘He was training a new generation of Jedi. One boy, an apprentice turned against him, destroyed everything,’ Han said, something indefinable flashing over his face. ‘Luke felt responsible. He walked away from it all.’

‘What happened to him?’ Finn asked, looking up again.

‘Lots of rumours. Stories. The people who knew him best think he went looking for the first Jedi temple,’ Han said, still narrowing his eyes at Finn. Chewie had sat up and was now also closely studying Finn. Finn motioned as if to crawl under the table.

‘The Jedi were real,’ Rey called, too thrilled to care about the strange scene. She heard the stories growing up, but she always thought they were fairy tales, too good to be true.

‘I didn’t use to believe it myself,’ Han said, briefly looking away from Finn. ‘All that mumbo-jumbo. A magical power holding together good, evil, the dark and the light side. But the crazy thing is, it’s all true.’ he turned back to Finn. ‘What do you know about Ren?’

‘What? Nothing,’ Finn slunk further into his chair. ‘no more than anyone else.’

‘Who’s Ren?’ Rey asked. ‘Was he one of the people that were on the ship with you and Poe Dameron?’ Finn had said there had been more people aboard than he and BB-8’s master.

‘No, no. Poe and I were the ones on that TIE fighter,’ Finn shook his head.

‘But you said "them",’ Rey reminded him. ‘When you told us what happened, you said you tried to help them.’

Finn’s jaw dropped, surprising her. She hadn’t thought it important. Maybe he didn’t want to talk about it. Everyone on that ship except Finn had died. Ren could’ve been a friend of his. Although, he just said he didn’t know him. But he had also said that Ren had been in the same gunner’s position he had been in at some point.

‘So, he wasn’t on your ship?’ she tried to get the situation straight.

‘Your pal wouldn’t be sitting here if he had been,’ Han said with a sigh.

‘You know him?’ This was getting really confusing.

‘He probably knows of him,’ Finn interrupted. He looked away again went Han glared at him.

‘I don’t,’ Rey said. ‘Can someone fill me in?’

Finn hesitated but answered, ‘Ren was something of Snoke’s personal Jedi. There are others, but they are far away, looking for old Jedi artefacts and lore. He was the main one, enforcing Snoke’s will, stuff like that.’

‘What do you mean “was”?’ Han strode over to Finn. Even Rey flinched back at the intensity in his eyes.

‘Wow, easy,’ Finn scrambled off the couch and stumbled away.

‘Wouldn’t play dumb if I were you,’ Chewie looked at the scene.

‘It really doesn’t matter,’ Finn said, not having understood a word of it.

‘It does to me,’ Han shouted. Finn shot to the other side of the room.

‘Alright, alright,’ he threw up his hands. ‘It’s like I said. “was”. He’s not a threat to the resistance anymore. He’s is dead.’

‘What?’ Han whispered. His face fell. He turned white as a sheet. Without another word he turned around and left.


	9. Shattered dreams

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fixed:)

 

 

Kina glared at Kylo from the corners of her eyes. His little stunt must’ve raised some questions.

‘So you are Kylo Ren,’ she stated. There was an edge to her voice, but not a single sign of surprise showed through either her words or her expression.

‘Wait,’ Poe intervened from the other side of the cargo space, dropping the rations he had been gnawing on. ‘He got away from the First Order. He’s not on their side anymore.’

‘Don’t bother,’ Kylo stopped him. ‘She has seen everything. She can come to her own conclusions.’ She was more likely to shoot him than to just shrug it off, but words wouldn’t stop her from doing so.

 ‘He can’t crawl back to them now,’ Kina did actually shrug. ‘Not after what he just pulled. “Tell Snoke I’ve bested his forces.”’ She did a poor impression of his voice. ‘Like seriously? Subtle much.’

‘I had to improvise,’ Kylo protested. All things considered, it had turned out better than could’ve been expected.

‘You said you had a plan,’ Poe exclaimed, throwing up his hands.

‘I said I was working on one,’ Kylo said. ‘there’s a small difference.’

Kina shook her head, grinning. ‘This is ridiculous.’

‘What is?’ Kylo asked. The humour of the situation evaded him.

‘You,’ she snickered. ‘You’re ridiculous.’

‘At least my nose goes in one direction,’ he muttered. It was the best he could come up with. The exertion of manipulating three dozen minds at once had left him a bit foggy.

‘I can fix that for you,’ she raised an eyebrow. It didn’t sound like a joke.

‘I’ll give you a hand,’ Poe said with a smile.

‘Don’t need one,’ Kina snickered some more. ‘I thought he’d be taller anyway. They told me he was some sort of boogeyman, but he’s just an idiot. Although in hindsight, it makes sense.’

Kylo took a deep breath. This could be a lot worse. No one had shot him yet. ‘You do realise they’ve seen you with me? You’re a target now,’ he reminded her. ‘your father as well.’

‘What’s new?’ she shrugged. ‘We’ll just have to relocate again.’ What was that supposed to mean? Did she just do that every time she got in trouble? Judging from her behaviour so far, she’d be moving a lot.

‘What are you looking at? You haven’t figured that out yet?’ she turned from Kylo to Poe and back. ‘What are the chances of anyone driving around the crash site of a TIE fighter in the middle of nowhere?’

‘Not a lot,’ Poe said. ‘we got really lucky you found us, I guess.’

‘No, we didn’t,’ Kylo tried to get all the pieces to fit together. She knew too much to be a random passer-by.

‘Stop being rude,’ Poe bit. He was denser than Kylo remembered and that was saying something.

‘No, no,’ Kina waved at Poe to shut up. ‘He’s getting somewhere.’

‘You’re with the resistance,’ Kylo concluded. ‘Not just your brother. An intelligence officer, I presume.’

‘Yup,’ she nodded. ‘It’s the family business, really.’

‘Why didn’t you say so?’ Poe dropped his head. ‘would’ve saved me some grey hairs.’

‘Kylo Ren was here the entire time,’ she feigned surprise.

‘I still am.’

‘What are you going to do about it?’ she challenged. ‘Run back to those lunatics and tell on me? So they can fry the rest of you? I’ve treated your injuries. I can tell you that would be a terrible idea.’

‘Good point,’ Poe agreed. Kylo didn’t argue. He hadn’t been planning anything of the sort.

‘You’d still help me? Knowing who I am?’ he asked instead. ‘You must know the things I’ve done.’

‘You’re kidding, right?’ she raised an eyebrow. ‘You ditching the Order is a huge boost to the resistance. You getting away from them in one piece would be even better. A few more of these stunts and the Order can’t even take themselves seriously anymore.’

Kylo hadn’t even considered it. The war had been the least of his concerns when he had snuck unto the TIE fighter. Aiding the resistance hadn’t been his intention, but she was right. He inevitably had. And although he couldn’t get behind the chaos and disorder the resistance caused, Kina’s story echoed through his mind. What had just happened only strengthened her message. _What would’ve done the harm if not for the First Order?_

‘I’ll get you on a ship and send you on your way,’ she continued. ‘I can get word to General Organa in the meantime, but it’ll take a few days and you shouldn’t linger.’

‘Just like that?’ Kylo asked, suppressing the thought of his mother. ‘Why would you take the risk? You can just dispose of me and leave my body in the desert. No one will ever know.’

‘I’d know,’ Poe said. Apparently, he was in the delusion that intelligence officers had a habit of leaving witnesses.

‘What makes you so sure I won’t turn on you the first chance I get?’ Kylo demanded, wondering the same about her. She wouldn’t be the first to think she would prove the universe a service by taking him out of it. The memory of waking up to dimmed, green light shining in his eyes flashed in his mind. He shook it off.

‘Because I’m an idiot too,’ Kina plucked at her shawl. ‘Or that’s what my brother used to say. Maybe he’s right, but if there’s a chance to get anyone away from the Order, then I’ll take it.’

‘Why?’ Kylo blinked. He had to keep his jaw from dropping. ‘I was your enemy mere hours ago.’

‘because I’m really not one to judge,’ she smiled at the floor. ‘The story I just told you. It’s well, uhm.’

‘The spy and the stormtrooper,’ Kylo recalled. ‘What about it?’ He understood that those two had served the Order before joining the resistance, but that had nothing od to with her personally.

‘Well, you see,’ she hesitated. ‘That stormtrooper is currently driving this truck. Mom’s elsewhere though.’

‘They’re your parents,’ Kylo chewed on his lip. That’s why she had taken it so personally. He had practically called her parents weak and dumb.

‘If you tell anyone that, you’re toast though,’ she jabbed a finger at him. ‘more than you are already.’

‘Don’t worry,’ Kylo said. ‘I already gave you my word. I’m not going back on that.’

‘Good,’ she nodded. ‘We’ve got a deal then? If you’re not going to stab me in the back, I’ll get you off this planet.’

‘Deal,’ Poe interrupted, raising his hand. Kylo glared at him. He could speak for himself. ‘What? It’s a win-win. It’s the best option you’ve got.’

‘That’s true,’ Kina said. ‘It’s also your only option. Besides I’ve seen your underwear. I’ve got blackmail material.’

Poe snorted. ‘You were an intelligence officer, right?’ he asked when he recovered himself.

‘I’d say “spy”,’ she shrugged. ‘But yeah, I am.’

‘So you can spread intel? False rumours?’ Poe grinned. ‘I’ve got a good idea.’ That would be a first.

‘You bet,’ Kina said. ‘I won’t even have to wait until we’re in Backblow town. I can do it from right here.’

‘Perfect,’ Poe’s grin grew wider. ‘This is what I want you to do. Spread some rumours about what happened with “Kylo” here.’ He scoffed at the name. ‘Keep it as inconsistent as possible. Make up some places where he could be hiding. Spread some confusion whether he’s alive or not.’

‘That should keep those trigger-happy clowns busy,’ Kina nodded, grinning even harder than Poe. ‘Can I just make something up?’

‘Go crazy,’ Poe spread his hands.

Kylo bit his lip to fight down a smirk. Knowing the way words could travel, he expected no one the near systems would not know something was amiss with the master of the Knights of Ren. Little rumours would be blown and twisted out of proportion. It would be no surprise if by the end of the week people would believe he had single-handedly taken out an entire fleet and fled into a volcano while Moofs and Nerfs danced in the background. It would give Snoke and Hux a run for their money. The idea of Hux having to search every volcano in the system made a small grin break out on his face.

‘Can you add something about Hux screaming like a little girl when I dumped him in a garbage chute on the way out?’ he chuckled. The other two stared at him with open mouths, then they both burst out into laughter.

‘How about you sabotaged the gravity generators?’ Poe suggested after catching his breath. ‘And then programmed the cruiser to do barrel rolls?’

‘Or that you released a pack of wild Hive Rats in the officers’ quarters,’ Kina added. ‘Imagine the chaos.’ It took little effort. Hive Rats were huge and officers tended to be squeamish.

‘I’ve could’ve written profanities all over the command bridge,’ Kylo said. He had some specific things he would’ve liked to write.

‘I can say you pissed in the engines,’ Kina snickered. ‘Or on Snoke’s throne.’

‘Oh, I’ve got a good one,’ Poe raised his hand. ‘He could’ve had an affair with Hux’s

mom.’

‘I don’t think Hux has a mother,’ Kylo said. At least, he had never heard of one.

‘Does that matter?’ Kina asked.

‘No, not at all,’ Kylo shook his head, already imagining Hux’s face when he heard. ‘You know what; definitely spread it that one.’

‘Oh, oh,’ Poe demanded more attention. ‘I’ve got a better one. Have him join a freak circus in the Outer Rim.’

‘You want them to raid your home, Dameron?’ Kylo asked, crossing his arms.

‘Shut it,’ Poe hurled the wrapper of his rations at him. it missed by half a yard. Kylo picked it up and threw it back with as much force as his injuries allowed. Poe sputtered as it hit him full in the face. The wrapper skidded to the floor. Kylo cracked up at the offended face Poe made at him. For the first time in years, he laughed.

 

* * *

 

 

Han steadied himself against the wall as he walked away, to somewhere quiet. To somewhere where he could be alone. The kids called after him, but he couldn’t bring himself to answer.

 _He’s dead._ The words rang through his head. Again and again. Tears filled his eyes. He blinked them away. he had known for years that he had lost his boy and he was never coming back. Still, those words tore the old wound open deeper than ever, leaving a gaping, bleeding hole. He turned into the first door he could find and sunk down against the nearest wall. It was permanent now. There was no turning back. The last sliver of hope he didn’t know he had crumbled to dust. Ben was dead.

Han had never really understood the Force. Even after being surrounded by it for decades, it was all still one big mystery to him. Blaster, engines and all that, he understood. But a magical, intangible power holding the universe together? That went over his head every time. His kid, however, had been born holding an excess of that power within him. Even Leia hadn’t known what do with it when Ben’s powers had grown more unstable, more uncontrollable, as the boy had grown older. Han could no longer hold back his tears when he thought of what could have been. If he had just fought a little harder to keep Ben at home. At the time sending him to Luke had seemed like the right thing. Maybe it had been. Maybe it had always been inevitable. Still, a small part of him wondered if he could’ve kept Ben from falling to the dark side, but he knew better. If Luke hadn’t been able to then he most definitely couldn’t either. The universe had played a cruel joke by ever letting him be a father. Whatever he did, he had always made it worse. Ben had drifted away from him years before he had fallen to the dark side and destroyed Luke’s temple. It hadn’t been long after that when they found Ben fighting the First Order’s battles. Snoke had wasted no time getting Ben under his control. Any chance they could’ve still reached Ben had been crushed in an instance. Even in the end, Ben had died under Snoke’s control. Hell, the monster had no doubt arranged for it. If Ben had become too powerful for him to control.

Han fought down the memory of teary, dark brown eyes. He had always remembered that one time he had screwed up the most. The time he had realised he should keep his distance. He didn’t even remember what had upset Ben to begin with, but kitchen equipment had been flying through the air. A knife had embedded itself into a wall above them with frightening force. More knives, forks and every other sharp object that had been close by, danced circles over their heads. Ben just kept screaming and kicking. No matter what Han tried, the kid had refused to move a muscle, rigidly holding on to the table while the whirlwind of metal closed in on them. Before he knew what he was doing, he had slapped the kid, harder than he even intended in his panic. The whirlwind came to an abrupt stop and the utensil had skittered harmlessly to the ground, but Ben had burst out in tears. Han had apologised over and over, but the kid had kept crying for hours. He was still sniffling back tears when Han tucked him in hours past bedtime.

Leia hadn’t judged him out loud when he had told her. She hadn’t needed to. He had gone away for a couple of days to get his act together. Ben had been so much calmer when he got back. The outbursts had disappeared nearly completely. It just served to prove Han’s presence had done no good to the situation.  

He hoisted himself off the floor. This wasn’t how he wanted to remember his son. He wanted to remember what Ben had been like before everything went to hell. Before the Force had awakened in him. Who he could’ve been if it never had to begin with. Who he might still have become if Snoke hadn’t crushed what little hope had been left.

He went for the hidden vaults he had installed decades ago. With any luck, no one had found them. He crouched down to lift the cover out of the floor. Everything was where he had left it. What he was looking for lay in plain sight. He took the projector and turned it on. A hologram of his princess holding their little boy in her arms lit up. The sight of his kid contently nuzzling up to his mother caused a pit in his stomach. He made a promise to Ben’s memory. Snoke would pay for this.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘You two should sleep,’ Kina said when the laughter died down. Ben opened his mouth to protest. ‘It’s still two hours from Blowback town,’ she cut him off. ‘At the very least.’

‘They’ll expand the search now,’ Kylo pointed out. The Order had confirmation he was alive and he did a terrific job of provoking them. If they didn’t have all available units on this search already, they would now.

‘Exactly why you should sleep,’ Kina argued. ‘You’re not going to win from anyone in the state you’re in. You look like you haven’t slept in days.’ She wasn’t far from the truth but that wasn’t her concern.

‘Wake me up when the Order’s shooting at us again,’ Poe said, crawling around to find a comfortable place to lay down. he had the choice between bare metal and metal covered in sand. He chose a spot without sand.

‘I’m good,’ Kylo said. If his suspicions were right, the dream from earlier had been rather tame. Falling asleep now might not end well and not because of any stormtroopers. He would’ve actually preferred those.

‘No, you’re not,’ Kina frowned. ‘What you did back there, using the Force, does that always leave you like that?’

‘It’s nothing,’ Ben said. Given his injuries, it had been a miracle had been able to pull it off at all. It had only left him tired instead of dead. A bit of sleep would solve that easily, but it wasn’t worth it.

‘Yes, it is,’ Kina crossed her arms. ‘We’re dependent on each other. If something’s wrong we all need to know. Just ask Poe. I’m sure he had a great time dragging you through the desert.’

‘It sucked,’ Poe mumbled, still tossing around to try and make himself comfortable. Ben shrugged. His health hadn’t been Poe’s business.

‘I’m not tired,’ he forced down a yawn. He didn’t feel like explaining that Snoke would be waiting for the moment he fell asleep either.

‘Ben,’ Poe rolled over and covered his ears. ‘Sleep, now.’

‘I don’t need to sleep,’ he snapped. It was an obvious lie. He did need sleep and they could see it. Still, he couldn’t risk it. It had only been a few times since Luke tried to kill him that Snoke had evaded his dreams so blatantly as he had earlier that day. Whether he had done so more subtly, Kylo didn’t know. It would explain a lot, but he had no way to be sure. His night terrors had been there since before Snoke had ever shown his face. Still, they had become much less frequent after he joined the First Order and had become worse every time he had failed to live up to expectations. But whatever the case, he made no illusions that Snoke wasn’t going to use any means available to terrorise him into crawling back to the Order. So no sleep it was.

‘If it eases your mind,’ Kina said. ‘We’ve had a ship ready ever since we knew about the possibility of a stranded resistance fighter.’

‘Would’ve been nice to know,’ Poe looked up. Kylo nodded. He hadn’t agreed with him a lot, but he did on this.

‘I needed to know what you were up to first,’ Kina shrugged. ‘Now, sleep. Both of you.’

‘Fine,’ Kylo said, knowing they wouldn’t shut up otherwise. He lay down with his back towards them so they wouldn’t see that his eyes would remain open.

It was harder to stay awake this way, but he didn’t have the energy to keep up the argument.

 

‘Back already?’ Snoke’s disembodied voice mocked. Rage ebbed through the void.

‘Leave,’ Ben commanded, searching for Grandfather’s presence. His courage faded when he found nothing.

‘Now, now, don’t be like that,’ Snoke emerged from the darkness. ‘I only wish to talk.’

‘What else could you do,’ Ben dared, forcing himself to stand his ground. Snoke’s expression turned from soft and warm to hard and ice cold.

‘Just wait,’ his eyes studied Ben. ‘You’ll see what I can do.’ Ben flinched away, trying to get away from the piercing gaze. ‘But it doesn’t have to be that way,’ Snoke continued. ‘Turn back and all will be forgotten.’ It seemed he hadn’t heard about the little incident on the road earlier.

‘Get out of my head,’ Ben straightened his back, looking straight ahead.

‘I’ve told you many times,’ Snoke shook his head. ‘Your father doesn’t want you. Yet you let the mere memory of him influence you like this. He’s a weakness you’ll have to crush.’

‘No,’ ben snapped.

‘It’s quite a test, I know,’ Snoke ignored him. ‘But turn back and I’ll guide you. I’ll make you strong enough to right all that’s wrong with the universe.’

‘You’re what’s wrong with the universe,’ Ben said. those words went against all he thought he had known, but he knew they were true.

‘I had hoped to resolve this peacefully,’ Snoke looked down on him. ‘But you give me no other choice.’ He faded into the darkness. Ben let out a sigh of relief, allowing himself a smile of victory, but he had celebrated too early. Grey, red and white sprung into existence around him, forming solid shapes. The face of his father appeared between it, bathed in red light. The light of Ben’s saber. He looked down at his hand. His arm moved up against his will, raising the weapon and running it forwards. His father dissolved into smoke, leaving him like he had every time. His resentment ran deep, still Ben screamed each time the vision repeated itself.


	10. unravelling secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixed :)

‘Hey, where are you going?’ Rey watched as Han disappeared into the hallway, holding onto the wall.

‘What was that?’ Finn asked, looking from her to Chewie and back to her with his mouth wide open. ‘What’s going on?’ Rey moved to follow Han, to ask exactly that. Had he known this ‘Ren’?

‘Don’t,’ Chewie stopped her, slowly sitting up on the bench. ‘He needs time.’ She blinked but nodded. He’d know what was happening with Han. She, on the other hand, had no clue.

 ‘What did he say?’ Finn asked her. The confusion in his face equaled her own.

‘That Han needs time,’ Rey translated and turned back to Chewie. ‘Why? What’s wrong?’

Chewie sighed and shook his head. ‘Just tell him we need to know what happened.’ He gestured at Finn. ‘With Ren. How did he die?’

‘I don’t get it. Did you know him?’ Rey asked. ‘Did Han know him?’

‘Someone, please fill me in,’ Finn said. ‘I don’t understand growl.’ Chewie threw him a dirty look. ‘Sorry, I don’t know what it’s called,’ he added.

‘He wants you to tell him what happened,’ Rey explained before things escalated. They both seemed on edge.

‘With Ren?’ Finn asked Chewie directly. Chewie relaxed the slightest bit and nodded, moving his hand in a ‘hurry up’ gesture. ‘Alright,’ Finn took a deep breath. ‘It’s complicated, but when I freed Poe and took him to the TIE fighter, Ren was already there. Just sitting there, waiting for us. That was not entirely surprising, but men, I nearly had a heart attack. But what happened is, the ship went down and I was the only one to make it out alive.’

‘I see, he crashed your ship and went down with it,’ Chewie looked at the floor, resting his elbows on his knees. He shook his head slowly.

‘Uh? Rey?’ Finn said. ‘Help?’ BB-8 rolled out from behind the couch and beeped a translation. Finn’s face fell. He looked completely lost.

‘So Ren crashed your ship?’ Rey saved him from the language barrier. It was impressive enough that he had tried to save the person that had attacked him.

‘What? No,’ he shook his head. ‘That’s just the thing. He wasn’t there to stop us. He wanted away from the First Order to.’

‘What?’ Chewie jumped up, flinching at the pain that must’ve shot through his wounds. ‘Han need to know,’ he hurried off without further explanation.

‘Oh, what now?’ Finn threw his hands up. ‘Anyone else going to run out on me? What’s even going on here?’

‘Let’s find out,’ Rey said, following after Chewie. BB-8 whirred and rolled after her.

‘Of course,’ Finn groaned. His trudging footsteps sounded after her.

 

* * *

 

 

‘What are you doing?’ Poe rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up. Kina was fidgeting with some beat-up, hand-held device. It seemed to have come straight out of Treepio’s era.

‘What you asked me,’ she looked up from the screen. ‘Plus some other stuff.’

‘Does that thing even work?’ he asked, nodding at the miniature rust bucket.

‘It only looks old,’ she said, returning her attention to her gadget. ‘It seems my network has caught wind of our little adventure back there.’

‘How long have I been asleep?’ Poe looked around the cargo space. Ben was laying completely still near the opposite wall, right next to Kina. So much for not needing sleep.

‘About 40 minutes,’ Kina squinted at the screen before typing something and smirking.

‘So it’s been less than an hour since then,’ Poe estimated.

‘Word travels fast,’ Kina shrugged. ‘Especially about things like these. It’s not every day you see Kylo Ren pulling a fast one on the First Order.’

‘Is he actually asleep over there?’ he gestured at ‘Kylo Ren’. Ben’s back was turned to them and Poe wouldn’t put it above him to pretend to be sleeping just to get everyone off his back.

‘I think so,’ Kina leaned over to see. ‘Just wondering, but how did you stay calm when this sunshine popped up unannounced? Most people would’ve been screaming.’

‘Finn actually did,’ Poe recalled, silently wondering whether he was still alive somewhere. He didn’t get his hopes up. ‘But to answer your question, our parents knew each other. We went to the same piloting classes when we were kids. He went away at some point. I never knew what happened, but everyone said he had died years after that.’

‘Well, he obviously didn’t,’ Kina poked Ben in the head a few times. He didn’t even stir. That was proof enough he was actually asleep. If he had been awake, he would’ve jumped up by now and whined. ‘He’s breathing too much for that.’

‘Anyway,’ Poe continued. ‘By the time I realised he was Kylo Ren, I had already figured he wasn’t trying anything. He had already helped us get away. Not a lot though.’

‘Was he always like this?’ Kina asked, poking Ben another time.

‘A raging fanatic, you mean?’ Poe shook his head. ‘Not that I know of.’ Sure, everyone had known Leia’s son had some issues. The fact that glass tended to shatter whenever he was around had left no doubt about it, but that didn’t make someone a radical nutcase.

‘Childish,’ Kina corrected.

‘Definitely,’ Poe said. ‘One time he crashed the simulator because the teacher told him to do something over.’

Kina snickered and stopped poking Ben. She put her hand over his head and rolled it back and forth instead. ‘And a reckless dunce?’

‘Now you mention it, he probably was,’ Poe nodded. ‘But really, it’s been a long time and I know his mother better than I knew him, so I wouldn’t actually know.’

‘Whatever the case, as far as the scavengers form Carbon Ridge are concerned, he’s now a juggler,’ she waved her gadget around with an enormous grin on her face. ‘I liked your idea. I had Hux’s mom join him as an acrobat.’

‘Anything else?’ Poe laughed.

‘Ask anyone in Niima outpost and he died battling TIE fighters by throwing boulders at them,’ Kina said. ‘He can do that with that Force stuff, right?’

‘He can definitely throw stuff around,’ Poe confirmed. Their old piloting teacher would’ve confirmed it as well.

‘Good,’ Kina pushed a few buttons, still moving Ben’s head around with one hand. ‘I’ll put something about him getting away along with those people with your droid in there too. You wanted inconsistent, right?’

‘The more the better,’ he nodded. ‘Did you already get that message out to General Organa?’

‘I got the ball rolling, but I can’t say when it will reach, or if it will reach at all.’ she answered. ‘You think she’ll risk letting Kylo take refuge with the resistance?’

‘Oh, she will, believe me,’ Poe said. There was no doubt about it. It might be best not to tell Kina the details, but if anything was going to come out of this situation, it was that Leia would get her son back. Complications aside.

‘She’s an impressive woman, I’ve heard,’ Kina cocked her head without breaking her eyes away from the screen. She stopped tossing Ben’s head around. ‘You know her?’

‘Yeah, I know her,’ Poe smiled. ‘She’s impressive, alright.’ If there was one thing he knew, it was that.

‘So, you’re a big shot,’ she looked up from the screen. ‘What’s up with that droid anyway?’

‘Sorry, classified,’ Poe held up his hands, palm forwards. If she didn’t know already, she wasn’t supposed to.

‘Too bad,’ she shrugged and stuffed her device away in a pocket on her utility belt. ‘But you should probably know, Blowback town is packed with stormtroopers. It’ll be a challenge getting in without being spotted.’

‘We can find a way in without involving you and your father any further,’ Poe said. ‘You don’t have to risk this all.’

 ‘We know what we’re getting ourselves into. It’s our job after all,’ Kina crossed her arms and leaned back. ‘Preparations have been made. Besides, we’ll jus toss a tarp over sleeping beauty here.’

‘That’ll fool them,’ Poe chuckled. Ben began muttered incoherently and hissing half a second later. ‘Just kidding.’

‘This again?’ Kina raised an eyebrow when Ben turned around, only to toss himself back towards the wall, making noises as if he were choking. ‘He’s a handful,’ she had to dodge a swinging arm.

‘Wakey, wakey,’ Poe extended his leg and poked Ben in the shoulder with the nose of his boot. Ben shot up, rapidly turning his head from left to right. He said something under his breath, probably something rude.

‘Good, you’re awake,’ Kina looked in Ben’s direction with an unimpressed look on her face. ‘Get ready for an actual fight.’

 

* * *

 

 

Finn had given up hope of keeping up with Rey, who was chasing after the Wookie. BB-8 had made a similar decision and was leisurely rolling at Finn’s side. The entire situation made zero sense. Of course, the resistance would be interested in what had happened to Ren, but Solo’s reaction had been something else. Finn also felt bad about what happened to Poe and Kylo, but he wasn’t chasing anyone through a room about it. This had been personal for Solo.

Rey skidded to a halt halfway through a bend in the hallway. Finn strolled to her side. Solo was standing a few feet away, looking at a hologram of a woman and a child. He turned it off and stuffed it in his pockets while kicking at the floor when he caught sight of them. Something made a thunking sound, but Finn couldn’t see what it was. Nothing was on the floor when he checked.

‘What?’ Solo bit at them. His eyes were bloodshot and swollen. Definitely personal. The Wookie began a lengthy explanation in his own language. Finn didn’t understand a word, or growl, of it. ‘Alright then, speak up.’ Solo turned to Finn. ‘Fast.’ The anger in his voice wasn’t even subtle.

‘About what exactly?’ Finn asked. ‘I can’t follow anymore.’ The Wookie growled loudly. ‘Translation, please?’

‘Ben,’ Solo demanded, ‘What happened to Ben?’

‘Ren,’ Finn corrected. Solo was making a hell of a fuss about someone whose name he couldn’t even get right. What was everyone’s deal with getting Ren’s name wrong in the same specific way? Had Hux made a typo in his propaganda?

‘His name is Ben,’ Solo snapped, grabbing Finn by the collar instead of telling anyone what his deal was.

‘No, I’m pretty sure it was Ren,’ Finn shook his head, running on the last of his patience. Was actual communication really that hard?

‘Hey, stop that,’ Rey intervened. ‘Just tell us what’s going on. How did you know him?’ You know it was bad when this girl lectured you on calming down and talking, instead of, you know, hitting people with a stick!

Solo took a deep breath, but didn’t answer. He didn’t let go off Finn’s collar either. The Wookie growled a few times, probably another explanation. Finn couldn’t tell and he had given up on trying.

‘Your son?’ Rey exclaimed. Her jaw dropped to the ground. Finn’s did as well when he processed the new information. That’s why Solo was so pissed. He had just heard his son had died and Finn had been dodging giving him any real answers about it.

‘He died on Jakku,’ he said carefully, realising how serious this was. ‘I tried to help. I swear I did, but there was nothing anyone could’ve done.’

‘How?’ Han asked, turning white as snow. He let go off Finn’s collar and reached for the wall. ‘How did he die? Did he suffer?’

Finn hesitated. ‘He died in the crash. He was on the ship with Poe and me when we went down.’ He only answered the first question, not having the heart to tell Solo just how much his son had suffered in the hours before his death. ‘It was quick,’ he lied. Solo pressed his eyes shut and covered his mouth.

‘He was leaving the First Order,’ Rey blurted before Finn could get on with his story. It had been the part that had made the Wookie jump. He now understood why.

‘What?’ Solo asked weakly, moving his hand away from his mouth. ‘What do you mean?’

‘It’s true,’ Finn hurried to confirm. ‘He was on that ship because he wanted to get out. He helped us escape.’ Helping was a big word, but Kylo, or Ben apparently, had tried and that was would matter to Solo.

‘Did he say anything?’ Solo asked with desperation in his voice. ‘About where he was going? Why was he leaving?’

Finn looked away and bit his lip. He couldn’t keep this from Solo. He had the right to know. ‘I don’t know where he was planning on going, but I know why he was leaving. I don’t know the details and I don’t know what he did to Piss Snoke off but,’ he stopped when his stomach twisted itself in a knot again when he recalled the state Han’s son had been in.

‘What?’ Han pushed. ‘What happened?’

‘They burned him,’ Finn finally managed. ‘It was terrible. The skin was scorched off his back.’

Solo’s face went blank, but his eyes flashed with cold rage. ‘Snoke’s dead,’ he declared and stormed away.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘Dad,’ Kylo shot up as the scene in front of him finally dissolved. He looked around. He was back in the cargo space.

‘Get ready for an actual fight,’ Kina said. He reached for his light saber. ‘Not right now. I mean, just be ready.’

‘Oh,’ Kylo drew his hand back and sat straight up. ‘I’m always ready.’

‘Sure you are,’ Poe mocked. ‘I’m not though. Anyone got a spare blaster?’

‘You’re sitting on one,’ Kina pointed at the floor. ‘There’s a hidden hatch.’. Poe began scratching and pulling at the floor below him. Considering the trooper earlier hadn’t found it either, he would’ve to try harder.

Kylo patted at the spot where he had hidden his light saber. It was still secured under the belt along with the dice. Kina fished a blaster out of a crate and began cleaning out the mechanisms, leaving Poe to claw at the floor.

‘I guess you already have a weapon,’ she said, turning to him. Poe yelped as the floor he had been pulling on came loose. He reached down and produced a blaster, grinning the entire time.

‘I don’t need one of those,’ Kylo confirmed.

‘Okay,’ he shrugged and pulled something else from a crate. ‘Put this on,’ she held it to him.

‘This is a piece of tarp,’ Kylo took a closer look and made a face. He wasn’t going to put that thing on.

‘We don’t want anyone recognising that nasty mug of yours,’ she said, rather content with herself.

‘Most won’t,’ he shrugged.

‘They will after today,’ she pushed the tarp in his hands. ‘Hurry up. We haven’t got all day. There’s a control point coming up.’

‘You said we had two hours until Blowback town,’ Poe looked up from inspecting his new blaster. ‘It hasn’t been that long.’

‘It’s not Blowback town,’ Kina said. ‘It’s a checkpoint at a crossroads. We can’t go around. The locked off the perimeter. I just heard about it myself.’ She waved some sort of device she pulled from her belt around and shoved it back.

‘More hostage situation?’ Poe asked.

‘Nope,’ Kina shook her head. ‘They seem to be changing tactics. Everyone’s getting questioned, but no one’s being excessively threatened.’

‘Excessively?’ Kylo raised an eyebrow.

‘No more than usual,’ Kina said. ‘Now, put that thing on.’ She pointed at the tarp in Kylo’s hand. He had been trying to deny its existence, but wrapped it around his head anyway. Kina had a point. He had made quite a spectacle of himself back there. The tarp brushed over his face. It was a bit like his mask, if you disregarded the itching. Poe snorted like a pig.

 ‘Not like that. You look ridiculous. Come here,’ Kina pulled the tarp back off. She twisted and folded, then wrapped it back around his head, covering everything, but his eyes. ‘If you tell people you’re from the equatorial regions, they’ll believe you.’ She seemed content with her work, although he couldn’t discern any difference.

‘They might recognise me too,’ Poe interrupted, shoving his blaster on his belt.

‘Funnily enough, no one’s been looking for you,’ Kina shrugged. ‘The Order has doubled up the search for your droid, but you don’t seem to be that interesting yourself.’

‘Good to know.’ Poe crossed his arms. You’d think he had accepted that fact a long time ago.

A knock sounded from the driver’s cabin. ‘Get ready, here we go again,’ Kina’s father called. The truck slowed down. Kylo reached for his saber.

‘No,’ Kina stopped him. ‘Go back to pretending to be asleep. Poe and I will do the talking, but try to not actually fall asleep this time.’ He took a deep breath and did as she said, facing the wall. He had messed with enough stormtroopers for the day. More of them had seen his face today than would’ve in a normal year.

Kina’s and Poe’s footsteps led away, followed by some muffled arguing outside the truck. Another presence emerged inside the cargo space.

‘Where were you?’ Kylo asked when he recognised it.

‘I was too late,’ Grandfather said. If Kylo had turned around he could’ve probably seen him, but he didn’t risk it. The arguing outside had become louder.

‘He came back,’ Kylo said in a low voice.

‘I know,’ Grandfather sighed. ‘He took care to hide his presence from me this time.’

‘He isn’t going to stop.’ Kylo bit on his lip. ‘He’s going to keep coming back.’

‘I know,’ Grandfather said. ‘But you can’t give into it. You’ll have to resist him.’

‘How?’ Kylo asked.

‘Trust what you know to be true, not what he wants you to believe,’ Grandfather said. ‘In the end, your mind will always be your own.’ Noises interrupted them before Kylo could ask for anything more specific. Trusting his guts wasn’t going to get Snoke to back off.

‘Don’t you bloody wake him up,’ Kina shouted. The tarp at the entrance rustled. Kylo moved to dislodge his saber from its hiding spot. A hand on his arm stopped him.

‘Stay still,’ Grandfather said. ‘I’ll handle this.’ His presence moved away.

‘Nothing here,’ an unknown voice called. Footsteps led away, the tarp rustled again and more footsteps came back in. The truck came back to life.

Someone tapped him on the shoulder. ‘You’re one lucky fellow,’ Poe said.

 


	11. Making plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> fixed:) This one did turn out a bit longer than I expected

‘The reports are quite inconsistent,’ Hux informed the Supreme leader. Snoke looked down on him from his colossal throne with a disdainful expression. ‘Several witnesses have begun to claim they saw him in Niima outpost during the airstrike. A few claimed he escaped on the freighter with the droid, something we’ve already deemed unlikely. The far majority, however, claimed he perished in the attack.’ Hux hesitated. Snoke’s glare had already been growing dark. He would not take the rest of the briefing well. ‘Yet, we have reason to believe Ren is alive and on Jakku. I must say the source of this information is quite reliable, coming from one of my own platoons.’

‘Why not start there’ Snoke frowned mockingly. ‘Why bother me with this pointless gossip first? Small minds are prone to grand tales. Even the most unlikely pieces of fiction will readily spread among them. I had expected an officer of your standing would be above such mindless gossip. Now, what have your men reported?’

‘It makes little sense, I fear,’ Hux swallowed, letting the hidden critique pass. The next part would be difficult to explain. He could scarcely comprehend it himself. Ren’s powers were as unpredictable as the man himself.

‘Go on,’ Snoke urged, cocking his head on interest.

‘They reported in claiming they had captured Ren after applying the necessary pressure on the local populace,’ Hux said. ‘He emerged from a group of hostages and announced his presence, laser sword drawn.’

‘So, where is he now? Sure, you would have informed me if your men had already retrieved Ren.’ Snoke spread out his hand and laughed.

‘Of course, Supreme leader. I must admit the story seems rather unlikely, but each soldier was interrogated separately and they all reported the same facts,’ Hux countered. ‘When they fired, their blasts were frozen midair. I’ve only seen such a thing once, by Ren’s doing.’

‘You are hardly the only one who witnessed Ren’s abilities before this day. It proves nothing but the fact that your men are just as prone to grand tales as any other,’ Snoke sneered. ‘Now, do you have anything of actual value or do you intend on wasting time? Valuable time that should be used to ensure the survival of the First Order.’

‘That’s not all, Supreme leader,’ Hux said. His men were trained according to the highest standards. They could hardly be called weak minds. Besides, their accounts checked out and the smallest details. Their report had withstood every test to verify.

‘Do tell, General,’ Snoke scoffed. ‘You seem to be quite invested in this.’

‘We are both well aware of the care Ren takes in hiding his appearance from the crew,’ Hux said. Ren’s habit of doing so had puzzled him since the beginning. Wearing a helmet in a battle was no more than common sense, but keeping it on at all times was excessive. Nothing about Ren’s appearance had been remarkable enough to even warrant it. The first time Hux had seen his face, it had occurred to him that he could’ve run into Ren in a lowly back alley and he would’ve been none the wiser. Perhaps, The man had simply wished to hide his problematic lineage.

‘What of it?’ Snoke swiped his hand in a dismissive gesture. ‘Get to the point before I lose my patience.’

‘Each soldier was capable of picking Ren’s image out of a line-up at first try and with fail,’ Hux hurried to continue. Snoke losing his patience was rarely a favourable turn of events. ‘I believe their reports hold a core of truth.’

‘Yet again, General,’ Snoke looked around in feigned wonder. ‘Where is Ren? I do not see him.’

‘None of the men were able to tell me,’ Hux took a deep breath. ‘All they could tell me is that Ren emerged from among the hostages. They faced him, but lost consciousness. They all awoke already back on the cruiser. I know little of the Force, but I do recall it to be capable of twisting perception and controlling one’s mind. I must believe this is what Ren has done. There can be no other explanation.’

Snoke leaned back on his throne and furrowed his brow in concentration. ‘That might be the case. It is within Ren’s abilities,’ He finally spoke. ‘Whether these reports hold true or not, precautions should be taken against such events.’

‘I assure you, Supreme leader,’ Hux straightened his back. ‘My men are quite capable of dealing with such situations.’

‘I believe it is already clear they are not,’ Snoke shook his head slowly. ‘Fortunate for you, Ren was not the only one talented with the Force under our command. It time to call them here. They might succeed where you have failed.’

‘It will be quite difficult to reach them on such short notice,’ Hux said. The very idea made his skin crawl. Having one creature like Ren roaming his ship had been enough of a hindrance as it was. Having six of them aboard would cause the chain of command to collapse in a matter of days. ‘It might not be possible at all. Their locations are unknown to us.’ Sending them a message was a possibility. Their commlink should be able to pick it up eventually, but that might take too long and the knights were as unpredictable as their master. They came and went whenever they pleased with no regard for the interests of the First Order. There was no way of verifying whether they truly hadn’t received ta message or whether they had simply chosen to ignore it. It would be little of a surprise if they wouldn’t show up simply because they refused to raise their weapons against their traitorous master. Relying on their cooperation would be a mistake.

 ‘I’m sure it is within your capabilities,’ Snoke swiped his hand in a dismissive gesture. ‘They should succeed where you have failed.’

‘As you wish,’ Hux conceded. Snoke’s trust in him had already dwindled due to his failure to capture Ren. He shouldn’t risk it any further by impeding what Snoke was in the disillusion of thinking was the progress of the mission. It might matter very little, to begin with. By the time any of the knights showed up, Ren was likely already dead or captured. Nonetheless, it seemed Snoke needed a reminder who had been responsible for their troubles and Ren had given him the perfect tool for it. ‘But I do feel I must inform you. Ren seemed to have left a message. It was one of the few things my soldiers were able to recall.’

‘Oh?’ Snoke raised an eyebrow. ‘Which would that be?’

‘I do believe the exact wording was “tell Snoke I have bested his forces”,’ Hux shook his head, faking a disapproving expression. ‘I’ve always suspected Ren had no respect for anyone. It seems I was right.’ Snoke’s face contorted for a second before returning to its former calmness. Yet, rage was clear underneath the facade. Hux bowed his head to hide his smile. As he had hoped, Ren was digging his own grave.

‘Anything else, General?’ Snoke bit.

‘A handful of empty rumours,’ Hux said. ‘As you said, nothing that warrants your time, Supreme leader.’ Countless rumours had gone around Jakku and ultimately, around the ship, ranging from petty sabotage to the wildest tales about Ren’s whereabouts. Even a circus had been mentioned and that had not even been the most ludicrous one of them. The vileness ascribed to his own late mother was revolting and preposterous. Yet, the insidious fabrication had already taken root among the crew.

‘Any trace of the Millennium Falcon or Han Solo?’ Snoke asked.

‘None so far,’ Hux said. ‘It is quite possible they are still traveling through hyperspace. There is nothing we can do as long as they still are. We will have to wait for any intel to show up. I have my men on standby and prepared to deal with all possible scenarios.’ They would have to be. If the father was anything like the son, he was capable of anything.

‘So you have no idea where the map is?’ Snoke asked. ‘Ren has evaded you with ease and his father has had little difficulty either. Is there anything you succeeded in?’

‘This is a delicate situation,’ Hux tried to salvage the situation. ‘Patience is of the essence. It might not be realistic to expect results quite this quickly.’

‘Concluding, you’ve got nothing but failure to report,’ Snoke shouted. ‘What assurance do you that the resistance is not already on their way to Skywalker? What can you give me to prove that Ren has not already joined forces with his treacherous parents? If either happens the Jedi will rise again. Hope will rise in the universe.’

‘No resistance movements have been detected,’ Hux forced himself to keep composure. The chance to prove his worth was right in front of him. he had to chose his words carefully. ‘But I share your concern. If you’d allow, I’d like to make a suggestion to solve all our problems at once.’

‘Well then, tell me, what can you possibly do to salvage this situation?’ Snoke demanded.

‘The weapon’s ready,’ Hux looked up at Snoke. His expression shifted from ire to interest. He leaned back in his throne as if to consider. Time to strike the iron will it was still hot. ‘I believe it’s time to use it. We shall crush the government that supports the resistance, leaving them vulnerable before either Ren or the map reach them.’ Snoke studied him closely. Hux reminded himself to stay still, to net reveal anything in his expression.

‘Very well,’ Snoke dismissed him with a gesture. ‘Go. Oversee preparations.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘Should we do something?’ Rey wondered out loud while Han stormed away towards the cockpit. Tears pricked behind her own eyes. The thought of her parents going through something like this was unbearable. She was going back to Jakku as soon as BB-8 was safe.

‘Nothing we can do,’ Chewie shook his head. ‘After everything that happened, he still loved that kid.’

‘I don’t get it,’ Finn said, his eyes wide. ‘Ren had been with the Order for years. How could he have been Han’s son?’

‘He disappeared six years ago,’ Chewie sighed. ‘He resurfaced shortly after in the Order’s ranks. We never knew where it went wrong. Maybe he just always had it in him.’

‘What do you mean?’ Rey asked. It made no sense. What reason could Han’s son have to join the First Order?

‘He was always-,’ Chewie took a deep breath. ‘I don’t know, angry. At everything, the entire universe.’ He shook his head, sighing. ‘I never understood it myself. It just happened.’

‘I’m so sorry,’ Rey put a hand on his arm. ‘Did you know him well?’

‘Since he was born,’ he sighed. ‘Every time I saw him he had grown more distant, but never cruel. I just don’t understand.’ He paused for a second. ‘I miss that kid. We knew he wasn’t coming back, but still.’

‘I wish I could do something,’ Rey looked down and bit her lip, pulling her hand back. ‘it just sounds so terrible. Of course, you would miss him’

‘When he was six, he tried to speak Shyriiwook and butchered it,’ he smiled sadly. ‘It was hilarious.’ BB-8 leaned his head against Chewie’s leg and beeped a few words of consolation. Chewie reached down and rubbed him on the head.

‘uh, Rey?’ Finn whispered in her ear. He had just been standing there, looking lost but not interrupting the exchange. ‘What did he say?’ Rey pushed him through the hallway, away from Chewie. He deserved the time to mourn without the situation getting in the way. She told Finn a shortened version of what Chewie had told her, toning down the personal parts. It wasn’t her business to go around and tell.

‘Six years,’ Finn nodded when she was done. ‘That sounds about right.’

‘By the way. Who’s Snoke?’ Rey asked. The name sounded vaguely familiar. She had probably heard in a scrapyard or marketplace sometime. Whoever he was, Han had a bone to pick with this guy. No wonder too if he had hurt Han’s son like that. Burning him, Finn had said. Who would do something like that?

‘You don’t know?’ Finn’s mouth fell open. ‘Under what rock have you been living?’ he stopped to look at her. ‘Oh yeah, that’s right. Jakku.’ She threw him an annoyed look and gestured for him to continue. ‘Anyway, that’s the Supreme leader. The big bad of the First Order. The guy pulling all the strings,’ Finn pulled up his nose. ‘That guy’s a creep. Bathrobe and all.’

‘I gathered as much,’ Rey said, blinking at the bathrobe part. Anyone going around burning people would have to be a monster. ‘How does Han plan on fighting him?’

‘He can’t,’ Finn shook his head. ‘It’s impossible. I’m sure he was just, uhm, well, he’s mourning. We shouldn’t take it too seriously.’

‘What if he does mean it?’ Rey asked. Han had seemed to mean it. Besides, who wouldn’t after what Snoke had done to his son?

‘No,’ Finn said. ‘Snoke has the entire First Order around him. If Solo goes up against that, he’s a dead man.’

‘We’ve had worse odds,’ Chewie came storming around the corner. ‘And you can bet he meant it. Snoke’s going down.’

‘What?’ Finn frowned. Rey translated it for him. His eyebrows shot up towards the ceiling.

‘What?’ he repeated. ‘Worse odds? Where? Where did you find worse odds? Worse than Snoke? Han does realise that even if he somehow gets past the entire First Order, he still has to go up against Snoke himself? That guy is seriously bad news.’

‘He a wrinkly piece of shit that someone forgot to flush,’ Chewie growled. Rey translated, slightly flustered, but more amused at the wording.

‘Well, yes. Definitely,’ Finn agreed. ‘a piece of shit that can fry someone within minutes. Someone like Ren.’ He stopped himself as his face fell in realisation. He continued in a low voice. ‘I’m sorry, but if you had been there-.’

‘Then Snoke could’ve been picking all his limbs off the floor,’ Chewie interrupted him, roaring. Although she was beginning to appreciate his way with words, she jumped back at the thundering sound. Despite the weight of the situation, she wondered how anyone would be picking anything up when all their limbs were on the floor. The image of a torso with only head hopping around, trying to pick an arm up with his teeth popped up in her head.

‘I don’t know what that means,’ Finn said. ‘But I’m not going to let Solo drag us into this.’ He turned and stalked away, towards the cockpit. This wasn’t going to end well.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

‘All the entrances are blocked. They’re checking anyone going through.’ Kina held up a holoprojector. A small map of Blowback town lit up above it. She indicated a line enclosing the town. ‘So, we’re going over here. We’ll have to go on foot for about a mile to avoid being seen. I’ve arranged for the guards at that part to be “on holiday”.’

‘What’s that?’ Poe asked, squinting at the enclosure.

‘A fence,’ Kina said. ‘We’ll have to climb it. Are you both up for it?’

‘I was born ready,’ Poe threw her his best smile. Ben, who was sitting next to him, just nodded absently.

‘No magic tricks this time, please,’ she turned to Ben. ‘We’re going for subtle, if that’s at all possible for you. So keep that shiny stick hidden if you can help it.’

‘It’s a light saber,’ Ben huffed. His face was  hidden behind that ridiculous tarp, but Poe assumed it looked offended. Jedi and their toys. Or was Ben a Sith now? All so confusing. Poe went with ‘Reckless dunce’. Kina had summed that up rather nicely.

‘fascinating,’ Kina said dryly. ‘Keep it out of sight. How’s your back?’

‘it’s not your concern,’ Ben brushed her off. He had always had an attitude, but now he was just being plain rude.

‘Remember what I said about being dependent on each other?’ Kina raised an eyebrow.

‘It’s nothing,’ Ben shrugged. Who did he even think he was fooling? He had literally gone out cold and stayed that way for over an hour. They had also both seen the wounds and neither of them was stupid.

‘Want me to describe the stuff that was oozing from it a couple of hours ago?’ Kina cocked her head. ‘It was yellowish.’

‘It was disgusting,’ Poe grimaced. ‘There was blood inside the blisters. Inside of it.’

‘It’s fine now,’ Ben shrugged again, avoiding eye contact.

‘Oh really?’ Poe leaned over an poked him in the back a little. The bandages should hold. Ben shrunk back at the touch and threw him a death glare. Poe did an exaggerated imitation of Ben’s shrug. Ben rolled his eyes at him.

‘Careful,’ Kina said. ‘The bandages won’t stop blisters from popping if you start poking them and we don’t want that. It would make a mess.’

‘I don’t need you to babysit me,’ Ben whined. From what Poe had seen, Ben did indeed need a babysitter. Some critical thinking skills would also do him some good.

‘I need to know all the details if we’re going to pull this off,’ Kina said. ‘I don’t care how you feel about it. We’re not going to get very far if you collapse again.’

‘I won’t,’ Ben pouted.

‘Whatever,’ Kina gave up with a sigh. ‘But seriously, What did you do? Flip off Snoke?’ Poe had wondered the same thing, Knowing Ben, it had probably been overdramatic and completely unnecessary. Still, burning someone like that was excessive no matter what they’d done. The First Order was a special kind of crazy.

‘I told you,’ Ben renewed his interest in the floor. ‘I was weak.’ His murmuring was hardly audible.

‘What does that even mean?’ Kina asked. ‘Did you refuse to kick a puppy? Were you accidentally polite to someone?’

Ben chewed on his lip, heatedly studying a pile of sand on the floor. ‘It’s of no importance to you.’

‘Just answer the question,’ Poe interrupted Ben’s crap. ‘Why did they do that to you?’

‘Well, uh,’ Ben stammered. ‘I let my judgment be clouded. Can we get back to the plan?’

‘You’re making no sense,’ Kina said. ‘Did you screw up a mission? What happened? What could you’ve possibly done to have them do this to you?’

‘Nothing,’ Ben snapped. His face fell when he was done. He crossed his arms over his knees and bit his lip hard enough that a drop of blood appeared, all the while taking deep, slow breaths.

‘Nothing?’ Poe asked carefully. ‘What do you mean “nothing”? You’re telling me they did that for funsies?’

‘It wasn’t like that,’ Ben muttered, then he furrowed his brow in concentration. ‘Or maybe it was.’ His mouth fell open as he moved his eyes from left to right and back. He buried his face in his arms, remaining like that for over a minute.

‘What’s going on?’ Kina mouthed. Poe shook his head and held his hands up.

‘I don’t know,’ Ben finally said when he looked up again. He shook his head and his eyes became somewhat clear again, but still distant. ‘So the plan? Are we going to do this or not?’ he asked as if nothing had happened. This was messed up. What the hell had they been doing with him over there? Whatever it was, they were getting him to Leia. She’d know what to do with him.

‘Yeah,’ Kina said, staring in confusion. ‘Are you sure you’re up for it?’ Ben nodded with a completely straight face. You’d never guess he’d just had a mental breakdown. ‘Alright then,’ Kina said unconvinced but went ahead anyway. ‘One of my guys has managed to secure a ship in the town’s docking bay. The First Order commandeered the place though, but we should be able to walk right in.’

‘How?’ Poe asked. Stormtroopers wouldn’t be waiting at the door to let them in.

‘Everything’s been taken care of,’ Kina said. ‘As long as we don’t pull any attention to ourselves, we should be fine.’ A knock sounded from the front of the truck. ‘This is our stop, it seems. Dad will keep driving from here. He will be on standby in case anything goes wrong.’ The vehicle stirred, screeched and then came to a halt. ‘It’s still a bit of a walk for us.’ 

 

* * *

 

 

Han looked out over the outer layers of Takodana’s atmosphere. All the green on the planet’s surface shone through. He had set course for this place to help the kids get that map to Leia. However small the chance, he had hoped they could actually find Luke. Now that barely even mattered. He had a different goal in mind and Takodana was the best place to start. Han sighed when footsteps clattered behind him. Company was the last thing he needed right now.

‘Whatever you’re planning on doing, we need to get to the resistance first,’ the stormtrooper pretending to be a resistance fighter came barging in, ranting the entire time. ‘If you want to go up against Snoke, be my guest, but don’t drag us into this. We’d like to live. We have to get as far away from the First Order as possible.’

‘Yeah, yeah,’ Han put the ship back on autopilot and got off his chair. ‘I’ll drop you off here and get you on a ship. We’ll be rid of each other after that.’

‘You’re not coming with us?’ the girl came running in completely out of breath. The droid rolled in after her, not beeping for a change.

‘Only up until here,’ Han explained. ‘We’ll be going our separate ways after that. I’ve got some business to take care of.’

‘Business to take care of,’ the fake resistance agent snapped, repeating each word slowly. ‘This isn’t about running some errand. This is fighting Snoke, and the entire Order while you’re at it. It’s a suicide run.’

‘It’s also none of your business,’ Han shook his head. In any other case, he might’ve stuck around, but now he couldn’t. He was going to make Snoke regret ever even setting eyes on his kid and he couldn’t do that hauling two stragglers and a droid around. ‘Listen, I can’t help you anymore, but I’m bringing you to someone who can.’

‘But we need your help. We have to get the map to the resistance,’ the girl dropped her shoulders and looked at the floor.

‘Sorry, kid,’ Han chewed on his lip. ‘Family business. That comes first.’

‘Yeah,’ the girl sighed and bit her lip. ‘I know.’ He racked his brain for something to tell her, something to assure her it would all turn out fine. She’d hold her own more than fine up until now, but the First Order wouldn’t be far behind. Tracking the Falcon had been a piece of cake for their beat-up collection of equipment. They had known where to look for, but still, the Order and all their equipment would make short work of it in no time. False hope could get these kids killed.

A beeping alarm on the control panel broke Han away from his thoughts. They had just broken through the atmosphere and The Falcon needed manual piloting to make their landing.

‘This is our stop,’ he sat back down and turned off the autopilot. A sheet of bright green grass and tree tops stretched out in the windshield. The girl slowly came forwards, staring ahead in with wide eyes. How old could she possibly be? Not much older than Ben had been when Han had last seen him. Maybe a few years. Han hadn’t even known what Ben looked like after he was grown. It was his own bloody fault to. If he had just gotten over his damn pride and visited every once in a while, he would’ve known. Instead, he had just pretended the entire situation hadn’t existed, that he hadn’t sent his kid lightyears away because Leia had told him it was for the best. He had ignored Ben along with it. It was a regret he would’ve to live with for thee rest of his life.

‘I didn’t know there was this much green in the entire galaxy,’ the girl gasped with tears gleaming in her eyes. For a moment, just a moment, she looked just like Ben. The wonder and curiosity in her eyes. The vulnerability in her expression. Even the way her chin trembled reminded him of Ben.

Tears filled his own eyes.

 

 

* * *

 

 

‘Hey,’ Poe grabbed Kylo’s arm again. ‘You got a minute?’

‘It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do,’ he pulled his arm away and trudged ahead through the sand. The tarp held the worst of the burning sun rays from his face. Still, the heat was unrelenting, beating down at them at every step. He began having some respect for Poe for dragging him through this burning sandpit.

‘You don’t have to worry about a thing,’ Poe said without explaining what he should’ve been worried about in the first place.

‘Worry about what?’ Kylo clicked the canteen of his belt and shoved the tarp aside to drink. Kina had forced them both to bring water from the truck. Something about the first rule of the desert. ‘Always bring water’ it had been. ‘Stay as far away as possible’ would’ve made a better first rule. Sand had even gotten into his boots. How was that even possible?

‘We’ll get you to your mother,’ Poe announced like it was a good thing. She would see him coming. Aiding the enemy she had dedicated her life to destroying and then showing up at her doorstep, asking for help. No, she wouldn’t be jumping to see him. That little fact hadn’t seemed to have gone through Poe’s thick skull. ‘You can take refuge at the resistance base,’ he added with a smile.

‘I’m not going to the resistance,’ Kylo said. ‘You can drop me off at the first inhabited planet we pass, but I’m not coming with you.’

‘Oh, come on,’ Poe threw his hands up. ‘Where would you go? The First Order’s everywhere. The resistance can keep you safe.’

‘Of course, they will,’ Kylo mocked. ‘Tell me, do they have a policy of helping their sworn enemies? Unless they do, you can just drop me off somewhere along the way.’

‘We have a policy of not abandoning those in need,’ Poe said. ‘Besides, Leia won’t let anything happen to you.’

‘I guess you’ve never actually met her,’ Kylo said. His mother had been a politician, and later a General, before she was anything else, even a parent. She wouldn’t risk the resistance for him.

‘What’s that supposed to mean,’ Poe asked in indignation. ‘I’ll will have you know-.’ The rest was lost in Kina’s shouting. She had gone ahead to scout the area, instructing them to follow a few yards behind. Now she was waving her hands above her head, barely visible against the sand. Her sand-coloured shawl hid the dark brown of her hair. The rest of her gear, having the same colour allowed her to nearly completely merge with her surroundings. That was no fortunate fashion choice. It had to be a conscious choice. Dressing him up in clearly visible grey clothing was unlikely to be a coincidence either.

‘I’ll get back to this later,’ Poe jabbed a finger at him and made way for Kina.

‘Please, don’t,’ Kylo said and followed him. Kina was waiting for them with another device pulled from her belt, which had enough pockets to hold a small armory. Still, her blaster hung from the side for quick access.

‘That’s it, the fence,’ she pointed at a tall, metal structure at the distance. The roofs of a number of building poked out above it, all of them square and the same dull sand colour that was everywhere. ‘Blowback town is on the other side.’

‘Quaint,’ Poe remarked. ‘What I always imagined my retirement home to be like. All those colours, just wonderful.’ If he didn’t learn to shut up anytime soon, he would never even have to worry about retiring. Someone would shoot him through the head long before that.

‘It’s a hellhole,’ Kina shrugged.

‘Why build a fence around a hellhole?’ Poe squinted at the distance. They had come close enough to make out the details. The lower part of the fence consisted of tightly woven metal wires. The higher part, just above the reach of most people, was woven more openly. That would provide some nice handholds to climb unto. The barbs on the top would still be a problem though.

‘Mostly to protect the cargo passing through,’ Kina shrugged. ‘The town’s packed with traders. It was built around the docking bay and rich people love defending their income.’

‘Makes sense,’ Poe stopped dead in his tracks a few feet away from the fence. ‘Is that going to be a problem?’ He pointed at the fence. Kylo caught up to see what he meant. The entire thing was crackling with static.

‘They’re not taking any chances with it either,’ Kina smiled. ‘That thing is the best you’re going to see on this planet. Electricity goes through the entirety of it. Pretty impressive, for Jakku I mean.’ Kylo picked up a piece of rock laying among the sand and threw it at the fence. Sparks shot up at contact. The rock landed back at his feet, cracked in half. Smoke rose up from it. No, not climbing that. He had had enough of electricity for one day.

‘Wait here and keep quiet,’ Kina gestured them to stay put. ‘There should be no controls around. Still, you can never be too careful.’ She pulled her shawl further over her head and crouched over a bit, slowly creeping towards the fence. When she was half a feet away from it, she hurled the device in her hand at the fence. Somewhere halfway mechanic claws must’ve come out, because when it made impact, it wasn’t deflected and destroyed like the rock. It attached to the structure by digging those claws into the metal. A single light on the device t lit up once and a shockwave went through the fence. It went dead silent in a blink of an eye. That solved the problem.

‘Three minutes,’ Kina yanked the device off the wall and stuffed it away while he and Poe approached. ‘Give me a boost.’ She gestured at Poe who crouched down and made a platform with his hands. Kina stepped on it, reaching high enough to take hold of the more open part of the fence and easily climbing to the top. When she got there, she pulled a knife from her boot and cut the barbs wounded around the upper shaft and pushing it aside before straddling the fence. She looked over and gestured at them to follow. Kylo hesitated. There was only a small space, about half a yard, between the fence and the buildings on the other side to land on.

‘Little kids first,’ Poe shoved him towards the fence. Kylo threw him a sideways glance and put his fingers through the looser part of the fence. No time to waste on details. He pulled himself up and set his feet against the lower part of the fence. It gave enough resistance to not glide right off. Poe, however, not having the benefit of height was left to jump and scratch at the fence.

‘Old ladies next,’ Kylo reached down, doing his best to make his amusement show. Poe glared at him but took his hand anyway. The skin on his back popped when he pulled Poe up. That was at least one mess they would have to deal with later.

‘Hurry up, you absolute toddlers,’ Kina hissed and snatched Kylo by the collar, hoisting him up. He grabbed the upper shaft and lifted himself over it. Before he could’ve have gotten halfway down, Kina kicked his arm away, causing him to lose grip in his other hand as well and speeding up the process by quite a bit. He landed sideways into a pile of sand between the fence and the wall which was now just behind his head. Sand crept into his shirt. That stuff got everywhere.

He had barely gotten up when Poe landed in the same manner, but then face first and a lot less dignified. The three minutes must’ve almost have passed. To prove his suspicion, Kina leaped off the top of the fence and landed with a controlled roll along the side of the fence, far enough away from the wall. He could’ve done that too if she’d just given him a heads-up. Although, considering the state of his back, falling like that had probably been more pleasant.  The fence cackled back to life the moment Kina got to her feet.

‘Was that really necessary?’ Kylo asked, pulling his shirt back into place and dusting that hell powder off him. He had encountered poison darts less irritating.

‘Yup,’ Kina said, unceremoniously lifting Poe back to his feet. ‘Quick, this way.’ She ran off, dragging Poe with her and disappearing into the nearest alley. Kylo looked around. The buildings had kept them from sight and no one had come barging at them with blasters. He sprinted after them. The shadow cast by the walls finally sheltered him from the bright, unnecessarily hot sun.

‘Over here,’ Kina whispered, already trying to pick a manual lock in the door of the building to the left. The door consisted of metal and poor maintenance. The rusty, deformed hinges barely seemed capable of holding up a feather, let alone a slab of metal.

‘Allow me,’ Kylo pushed past her and gave it a good shove. Logically speaking, it should’ve fallen right over. In reality, it stayed perfectly in place. He tried again with the same results.

‘Got you there,’ Kina smirked. ‘How about you let me get back to it? I actually know what I’m doing.’

‘Let me guess,’ Poe said, sharing her smirk. ‘It only looks old?’

‘You’re catching up,’ Kina poked a bent piece of wire into the lock’s mechanisms. ‘No key exists of it either. You just have to know the sequence.’ She turned the wire twice to the left, once to the right and back to the left, then pushed it upwards. The sound of crunching gears came from the other side, followed by the sound of retreating bolts.

‘That’s not a manual lock,’ Kylo concluded. Manual locks were noisy, but not that noisy.

‘Not at all,’ Kina pushed the door open. ‘Make yourself at home.’ She held the door open while Poe slipped inside. Kylo threw a look inside. The room was nearly completely empty, except for a bunch of closed crates, a table and two chairs and nothing that indicated an ambush. ‘We haven’t got all day. Move it or I’m leaving you outside.’

‘What is this place?’ Kylo asked while he stepped inside. Kina shut the door behind him. The only light came from an old lamp Poe was playing around with while sitting cross-legged on one of the chairs. Not a single window was built into any of the walls. If it hadn’t been easier for her to shoot him back in the truck, he might’ve started to question her motives right about now.

‘Somewhere to lay low. Or to meet up,’ she shoved her hand into the nearest crate and pulled out a piece of rations. ‘Or to stock up on supplies. Whatever it is you need.’ She pulled off the wrapper, threw it on the floor and took a bite.

‘Convenient all this,’ Poe left the lamp alone and looked around the room. Kylo let the last of his suspicious of Kina’s motives go. If she wanted either one of them dead, Poe wouldn’t have lasted this long. He had just run in here without looking around. For all he knew that lamp could’ve been a bomb or something. ‘Who put it here?’

‘People much smarter than you,’ Kina lifted a crate unto the table. ‘I could’ve led you right into a trap. You didn’t even look around before barging in. You’ll have to be more careful.’ Kylo nodded in agreement. Good to know he wasn’t the only one to think so.

 ‘What could I have done about if you planned on doing that?’ Poe shrugged, sticking his hand into the crate. ‘What’s this?’

‘Luckily for you, not explosives,’ Kina grabbed his wrist and moved it aside. ‘You have to get better at this, or even I can’t help you anymore.’ Poe muttered incoherently under his breath. It sounded a bit like ‘numnumnumnum’.

‘So what now? Kylo asked, pulling the tarp off his head. The thing was full of sand. ‘How are we getting into the docking bay? If the Order has commandeered it, security will be airtight. Especially now I’m on the loose around here.’ He shook the tarp. An impressive amount of sand came falling out.

‘Hey, don’t make a mess,’ Kina said while piling the contents of the crate unto the table. Kylo pointed at the wrapper she had just tossed, then at the table. She stopped to glare at him. ‘That’s different. That’s my mess.’ Poe rummaged through her mess and pulled something from the pile.

‘What’s this?’ he held up a jacket of a First Order officer.

‘Your new outfit,’ Kina smiled deceptively sweetly at him. ‘And our ticket in. Dress up. You’re an officer now.’

‘I’m not putting this on,’ Poe protested. ‘It’s ugly.’

‘Suits you well then,’ Kylo said. Poe looked him dead in the eye and slowly raised his hand in the air. Then at the last second, he turned it around and bend all fingers inwards. All but one. Kylo bit his lip and looked away to hide his grin. Some things would never change.

‘Put that thing back on your face, Duncy,’ Kina pulled another uniform, one for a technician from the pile. Poe threw him a smug grin. ‘Like I showed you. You’re going to have to pass as a native guide.’

‘Duncy?’ Kylo blinked. Where had that come from?

‘Calling it as I see,’ Kina shrugged, putting her belt unto the table next to the pile and unzipping the technician’s uniform. ‘Now hurry up, we’ve got a bay to infiltrate.’

‘We’ll need the right documents,’ Kylo pointed out while putting the tarp over his head and tossing the ends over his shoulders. He stopped. How had she done this again? Poe completely lost it and hit the table, nearly choking in his amusement.

‘You mean these,’ Kina pulled a datapad out from under the pile while stepping into the uniform. She was just putting it on over her own clothes. ‘Poe, get a move on.’ Poe glared at the jacket one last time before pulling off his shirt and putting on the jacket. Kina zipped up her own disguise and pulled a pair of pants from the pile, tossing it in Poe’s lap. His face was priceless.

‘Not so fun now, is it?’ Kylo asked. Poe didn’t lower himself to answering and stood up, shoving some of the crates around to build a small wall. He ducked behind it.

‘Didn’t take him for a prude,’ Kina frowned at the spectacle Poe made of himself. Kylo shrugged. ‘and what are you doing?’ she pulled the tarp off and did the same thing as earlier before tying it around his head. ‘That’s better.’

‘So now we just walk in?’ he asked, checking the datapad. It seemed genuine, cleared by Captain Nodha Palloyu. That name was unfortunate, but it was a real officer, Hux’s adjutant. He had risen up to that position quickly by crawling up Hux’s ass. A bit risky to use that guy’s name, but as far as he could recall the Palloyu was on the other side of the galaxy running Hux’s errands, unable to contradict the documentation. Not that just any intelligence officer could’ve known that.

‘And now we just walk in,’ she stuffed her blaster in her boot and clasped her belt back on. No one would question a technician having a utility belt. This lady was up to a lot more than she was letting on.


	12. talking a way out of it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixed:)

'When you get to the base,’ Han said, absently staring at the endless mass of green up ahead. ‘There’s someone. I want you to tell her everything you told me.’

‘Who?’ Rey asked carefully, tearing her gaze away from the windshield and all the wonders on the other side of it. Han’s eyes were still red and swollen. Just for a moment, she had forgotten all that he had gone through, completely taking in by the novelty of what was in front of her.

‘My wife, Ben’s mother,’ Han sighed and pressed his eyes shut. ‘She has to know about this. I’d rather she didn’t know about the details, but she’ll find out eventually. Better she hears it like this.’ When he opened his eyes again, tears gleamed in them.

‘We will,’ Rey promised, looking down. An entire family torn apart by the First Order. She tried to find the right words, something to comfort him. Nothing that felt right came to her. The situation was just too much. Nothing anyone would say could change that.

‘Shouldn’t you tell her yourself,’ Finn interrupted, leaning against the nearest wall. ‘I mean, I can give her a first-hand account, but that just doesn’t seem right. It was pretty bad.’ Rey gestured at him to cut it out. Han didn’t need a reminder. Finn’s mouth fell open and he closed after a minute, looking anxiously at Han, who just calmly shook his head. All the rage had left his face, replaced by grief and sorrow.

‘She wouldn’t want to see me,’ he said. ‘But you should find her easily. Her name’s Leia. You’ll know where to find her when you get to the resistance.’

‘I know who you mean. General Organa, right?’ Finn pushed himself off the wall. ‘That’s common knowledge. I just think you should at least check on her. I’m just saying, I’ll tell her if you really want me too, but it’s just, it’s-.’ Finn sighed and shook his head. ‘It’s better if you do it yourself.’

‘No,’ Han chewed his lip. ‘She can’t have me around when she hears this. It’ll only make things worse.’ He would know better than either of them. They never met his wife, but Finn was right. It was bad enough to hear something like this. Let alone hearing it from complete strangers, like Han had. Still, she couldn’t tell him what to do. He had to deal with his grief in his own way.

‘What is this about?’ Chewie growled, storming into the cockpit. Finn wisely took a step back. Chewie was hardly in a calmer state than Han. Any more clever comments and Finn might be the one picking his limbs off the floor.

‘Just passing in the news to Leia,’ Han muttered, leaning over the control panel and avoiding looking Chewie in the eye.

‘What?’ Chewie roared. The cry banged though the cockpit, making the glass of the windshield shudder. Rey froze in her spot. Finn jumped a feet into the air and sprinted out of the cockpit, closely followed b BB-8. Even Han clasped the back of his chair and turned around in shock. ‘You’re sending her a message?’ Chewie strode into the cockpit. Rey got out of his way, but stayed in case it got out of hand. Both were in a state to lash out. ‘You will tell her yourself, even if I have to tie you up and drag you to her.’ That was an idea she could get behind. Maybe the supply room still had some rope or wire in it.

‘For the last time, she doesn’t want to see me. With good reason,’ Han pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘I’ll just keep reminding her that we lost Ben if I stick around. You know that.’ She looked down at the floor, her eyes burning. This was heart-breaking. The last that remained of Han’s family crumbled in front of her eyes. She couldn’t just watch and do nothing.

‘Chewie’s right,’ she dropped down in the co-pilot’s seat, looking Han in the eye. ‘Finn too. You should come with us and tell her yourself. She lost her son. Don’t make her deal with it on her own.’

‘Leia and I drifted apart a long time ago, kid,’ Han sighed. ‘She wouldn’t want me around when she hears. Besides, I’ve got some scores to settle.’

‘You want revenge for your son,’ Rey nodded. ‘I get that. What they did to him was horrible. You’ve got all the right to hate Snoke. All parents would.’

‘Snoke will pay for this,’ Han said, clenching his fists.

‘Yeah, he should,’ Rey said. ‘But he’s the leader of the First Order. How are you going to get to him? Do you have a plan?’ There was no doubt he could, but not at this moment. Finn was right, it would be dangerous and Han was rushing into this.

‘The person I’m bringing you to, she’ll know something I can use,’ Han chewed his lip. ‘I’ll think of something after that. I always do.’ She had heard that phrase earlier that day. It hadn’t turned out very well

‘You’ve got no plan,’ Chewie said. ‘And we can’t do this on our own. If killing Snoke was that easy someone would’ve done it by now.’

‘That does make sense,’ Rey agreed. ‘You might want to take your time thinking of a plan because you’re going to need a good one.’

‘Go to Leia,’ Chewie said, putting a hand on Han’s shoulder. ‘She has as much right to this as you do. Besides, she’ll have a plan ready, and five backup plans at that.’

‘Luke could help take down the Order, right?’ Rey added. The Jedi were legendary warriors, keepers of the peace. ‘That’s what this map is all about, isn’t it. Getting BB-8 to the resistance is as good a start as any, but we can’t do it without you.’

‘She right,’ Chewie said. ‘Luke will at least want to know too. Ben was his nephew.’

‘Wait, what,’ Rey blinked. ‘His nephew?’

‘Luke is Leia’s brother,’ Han said. ‘He trained Ben since he was a boy.’

‘Then he’ll definitely help,’ Rey said. Snoke had gone after the wrong family, it seemed. He had gotten Han Solo, the leader of the resistance and a Jedi knight against him.

‘I don’t know,’ Han sighed. ‘He might, he might not. You never know with Luke.’

‘Listen,’ Chewie said. ‘Leia lost Ben, then Luke and then you. Now she’s going to lose Ben all over again. I don’t know whether we’re going to find Luke, but you’re right here and she needs someone. She never wanted to forget Ben. She needs you.’

‘You don’t have to rush into it,’ Rey added. ‘Just come with us and see your wife. You can do whatever you have to after that. The First Order isn’t going anywhere.’

‘Fine,’ threw his hands up. ‘I’ll come with you, but if this does go wrong, I’m holding you responsible, Chewie.’

‘Fine by me,’ Chewie patted him on the shoulder a few times. ‘You’re making the right decision, you know.’

‘You better be right about this, fuzzball,’ Han jabbed his finger at him. Chewie patted him on the shoulder. Rey slipped from her chair and out of the cockpit. Those two needed some space. Finn sat on the couch, his arms crossed on the table and his face pressed into them. She was about to wake him up from his nap when she the sensation of being looked at crept up on her.

She turned on her heels, ready to throw a punch. However it was, it wasn’t Han or Chewie, she would’ve heard them coming and Finn had been right in front of her. She lowered her fists when a pair of deep, dark brown eyes locked unto hers. The shape of a face appeared, only to vanish in a flash. Her mouth fell open. She knew that face, even if it had been years since she last saw that boy and it wasn’t a boy anymore. It had been the face of a grown man. She had only ever seen him in her dreams on the rocky shores. He had always been surrounded by claws grasping at him, reaching for him from the darkness and trying to pull him in. At first, she could simply shoo the claws away, but one day they had just taken hold off the boy and dragged him into the darkness. He never came back no matter how much she had searched every dream she had. His presence here calmed her. He was reaching out to her.

She shook her head. It had all been a figment of her imagination. She was just tired. It had been a long day and Han’s loss had moved something in her. Her mind was just trying to somehow ease itself through her dreams by conjuring up a soothing image. She shook her head again. She really needed to take a nap if she was dreaming while standing up.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘Is everything in order?’ Poe asked, holding his back excessively straight and deepening his voice to an improbable pitch, slurring out his every word. His face was tight with the attempt of remaining expressionless, but he succeeded more in resembling a fish. Altogether, it was a rather convincing imitation of Hux.

Kylo was glad of the tarp. His face would’ve betrayed them. His mask had often saved him the trouble of keeping a straight face in public situations as long as Snoke was not present.

‘Don’t make that face,’ Kina hissed while driving her elbow in his ribs.

‘I’m not making a face,’ he whispered back. That wasn’t true, but she couldn’t know that unless she had some sort of X-ray device hidden on her as well.

‘Yes, you are. Stop it,’ she said. The guards at the entrance looked up at the exchange. One of them had been frowning at the datapad. There hadn’t been a single fault in the forgery when he had checked. The name of Hux’s upsucking adjutant probably just raised some eyebrows every time it came up. It had been one of the instances his mask had come in handy.

‘Silence,’ Poe bellowed. It lwas ridiculously exaggerated. No doubt the soldiers were just as thankful for their helmets at the moment as he had been. The only thing stopping him from bursting out in laughter was Kina pinching his arm. It was still a close call. ‘Now, is everything in order?’ Poe repeated. ‘We’re in a hurry.’

‘It appears to be, Sir,’ the guard handed back the datapad. ‘Good luck on your travels.’ He gestured at his colleagues. The gates slid open, revealing the open-air docking base behind it. It wasn’t very impressive, or even of substantial size. Still, it was heavily guarded. Everyone going in and out was being monitored. No civilians were allowed. The Order didn’t want anyone leaving this planet unauthorised and they spared no effort ensuring it. It would be an advantage in the long run. They would’ve no idea he had already scrammed. He wished them good luck scouring this oversized sandbox.

‘Finally,’ Poe scoffed, perfectly copying the attitude of plenty of officers. He glanced back for a second. ‘Come on, you two. We’ve had enough delay as it is.’

‘Yes, Sir,’ Kina said politely. It was obviously sarcastic coming from her, but it fooled the troopers. They indeed just walked in.

Countless stormtroopers, technicians and a handful of officers crowded the place, running around as if their lives depended on it. An unusual number of ships were jammed together throughout the bay.

‘There should be a ship prepared for us halfway the east wall,’ Kina said in a low voice. ‘An orange cloth will be tied to one of the engines. It will be unguarded and ready to go.’

‘This is too easy,’ Poe whispered. ‘Things are never this easy. Something’s bound to come up.’ Kylo looked around. Not a single person paid attention to them, except to get out of the way of Poe’s excessive imitation of an officer. Still, something was off. The search for him and Poe’s droid might warrant this much personnel, but that couldn’t be it. No ships were coming in to land, but plenty were rising up to leave. Something else was happening.

‘That’s because we came prepared,’ Kina said. ‘You should try that once in a while. It will save you a heap of trouble. As long as you don’t stick your hand in anything, we’ll be fine.’

‘Do you know why everyone’s leaving?’ Kylo asked. Kina obviously had ways of knowing more than she should, so she might just know what was going on here. ‘Did they find Poe’s droid?’

‘No, I would’ve told you,’ Kina shook her head. ‘It’s something about a rally all available units have to attend. They were really vague about what it was all about. I don’t think anyone here knows either.’ That was odd. All these units wouldn’t be pulled out for no reason whatsoever. It had to be important, but what? Only Hux or Snoke had the authority for something like this. What were they doing? He went over anything he could think of. He stopped dead in his tracks.

‘Come on,’ Kina pulled him along. ‘You need to get on that ship. Give me about ten minutes before you leave to get out myself.’

‘No, wait,’ Kylo stepped in front of her. The details of Hux’s pet project flooded his mind. Energy from the sun. Death star level. Capable of destroying an entire system.

‘I have to get back to Dad,’ she pushed past him. ‘You’ll be fine. Poe can bring you to the resistance. Just can take refuge there.’ Why did everyone keep assuming that would solve his problems?

‘That’s not what I meant,’ he hissed. ‘Starkiller base. They’re firing it. At the Hosnian system.’

‘They’re firing what now?’ Poe frowned. ‘What’s that?’

‘Deathstar like technology, but far stronger,’ Kylo explained. ‘They’ll destroy the Hosnian system.’

‘All of it?’ Poe asked. His face fell in desperation. ‘That can’t be right.’

‘It is,’ Kylo continued. ‘Hux has been working on it for years. I never thought they would actually use it. The Hosnian system will be reduced to dust within minutes.’

‘Are you sure of this?’ Kina asked. ‘I’ve never heard of anything like this.’

‘All information was need-to-know,’ Kylo said. ‘I only know about it because I was stationed there.’

‘And you’re sure they’re activating it now?’ Kina fished one of her devices from her belt and typed unto the screen.

‘It’s the only reason I can think of for a rally this scale during a time like this,’ Kylo looked around. Many ships were rising up already. They would’ve little time. Hux would want his moment of glory to be the spectacle of his rally.

‘Tell me all you know,’ Kina said while turning around and pushing past people. Some offended huffs rose up. ‘Is there any way to stop it?’

‘Not from here,’ Kylo raced after her, Poe on his heels. Several heads turned at the scene of an officer running after his crew. ‘It’s built into a planet and drains the energy from the sun. It will release beams strong enough to decimate planets. You’d need at least an entire fleet to stand a serious chance.’

‘Well then,’ Kina nodded at the control building at the center of the docking bay. ‘Right this way. We’re going to give the resistance a fighting chance.’

‘It won’t be long anymore,’ Kylo said.

‘Then we better hurry up,’ Kina said, taking his wrist and sprinting away. Poe had noticed the turning heads and was running another route. They came to a stop right in front of the control building, Poe reaching last.

‘They wasted no time making themselves at home,’ Kina scoffed. ‘They put a new lock on the door. We’ll need the code and I can’t hack this thing while everyone’s looking at it.’

‘Poe, put this in,’ Kylo said. Anyone else than a trooper of an officer doing this would pull too much attraction. ‘Nine-sigma-eight-two-eleven-Delta-six-seven. Got it?’ It was his personal clearance code. Despite Hux’s incessant protests about Protocol, he had been given complete access to all the Order’s bases and resources. The code would open all doors.

‘Yeah,’ Poe entered the digits. A handprint popped up on the lock’s control panel. ‘So, what now?’

‘Move it,’ Kylo pressed his hand against the scanner. The screen whirred and blinked. A few seconds later, it flashed green and the doors slid open. Hux should really take that code out of the system.

‘Handy,’ Poe grinned, then frowned. ‘How did you know that wouldn’t trigger an alarm? You’re a fugitive. They should’ve taken your code out of the system.’

‘Lucky break,’ Kylo shrugged. Hux never prepared for things like this. He expected everyone to be as overcautious as he was. It made him too predictable.

‘Lives depend on it, you duncy,’ Kina hissed. ‘Stop playing around.’

‘I know that,’ Kylo countered. ‘Like I said, Hux is a rigid moron. He’d never even imagine anyone would try something like this.’

‘Don’t make it sound like you thought it through,’ Poe said. ‘You never think things through.’

‘How would you know that?’ Kylo asked. ‘We haven’t met since we were children.’

‘Because I saw you in action the last day,’ Poe said.

‘Stop arguing like an old, married couple and get your asses inside,’ Kina interrupted. ‘We've got a system to save and people are staring.’ She slipped past them and hurried inside. Poe followed immediately behind. Kylo threw a glance over his shoulder. People were indeed staring. A few too many for his taste. He calmly stepped inside, as not to draw more attention to himself and closed the door behind him. It was a rather small building. Not strange considering the docking bay’s initial purpose, but only a single technical officer sat by the control panel. The officer wasn’t even armed. They must’ve trusted their technology to keep intruders out, which it usually did. Too bad he had a code.

Kina stepped forwards and tossed the officer from his chair unto the floor. In a pile of sand, of course. That stuff was everywhere. She took the chair for herself and began jamming buttons.

‘Who are you? What are you doing here?’ the officer scrambled off the floor.

‘Wait,’ Kylo said, holding up his hand. ‘We can explain.’ They couldn’t, but the officer looked up and blinked, not reacting any further. People tended to freeze when they got confused. It was one of the few useful things his father had taught him.

‘You’re intruders,’ the officer regained himself. Too bad confusion never lasted long.

‘No, this is just a misunderstanding,’ Kylo shook his head, pulling it out a bit longer. A fight would leave to much evidence. ‘We’re in a hurry and she is not good with communication.’

‘I’m calling the guards,’ the officer frowned and pressed the commlink in his ear. Poe blasted him without another word. So much for subtlety

‘No time for conversation, and stop messing around,’ Poe shoved his weapon back on his belt and went to Kina’s side. The central screen was opened on archive mode. ‘What have you got? Anything we can use?’

‘Plenty,’ she said. ‘As I hoped, they are still synchronising the systems. I can hack into their main database from here.’ She fished a new device from her belt and put it unto the control panel. Mechanic hooks unfolded from the side and jammed themselves into the panel. About half a dozen notifications popped up, all indicating external data breaches or unauthorised access. The computers hadn’t even registered the breach came from within.

‘Get ready to run,’ Kina stepped from her chair and held her hand above her device. ‘We’re not getting away from her unnoticed.

‘Dameron already made sure of that,’ Kylo gestured at the officer on the floor.

‘What were you going to do?’ Poe asked. ‘Talk him into letting us borrow the control panel for a minute?’

‘That was the idea,’ Kylo said.

‘Shut up,’ Kina said looking up to the screen. A loading bar covered all other notifications, already 62% done. It was not nearly far enough, considering alarms started blaring through the building. ‘We’re in trouble. Any magic tricks are welcome now.’

‘How about a disappearance act?’ Poe grabbed the blaster from his belt and looked around. Kylo reached for his saber but stopped himself. He couldn’t use it. People would see it and he might as well have worn a plate around his neck with his name on it.

‘Not yet,’ Kina held up her hand and looked up to the screen, 97%. She reached her for the device. The doors behind them slid open. 98%. Her hand hovered over the device. Footsteps sounded behind them. 99%. Kylo turned on his heels. A dozen stormtroopers flooded in, weapons raised. Poe raised his own blaster. ‘Now!’

Poe opened fire. Kina joined the fray, taking cover behind the chair. Kylo pressed himself against the wall. Blasts razed right in front of his face, going for Poe and Kina. He mustn’t have looked very threatening with that thing in front of his face. He stopped some blasts from hitting target, but it took for more effort than usual. Despite the pain being mostly gone, his wounds still slowed him down. They needed to get this fight over with quickly or they would indeed have to drag him out of here. He swiped his hand, sending ripples through the Force. The nearest three stormtroopers flew backward into their colleagues. Four more went to the ground. Another three were shot down, too dazed by their allies bowling over more of their allies to dodge the fire. That left two standing, plus seven more helpless on the ground. Poe and Kina could take care of that lot.

Kylo leaped forwards, kicking the nearest standing stormtrooper over and body slamming the other into a wall. No shiny sticks required. When he turned around, the rest of the stormtrooper lay motionless on the floor. If they were lucky, Kina and Poe had their blasters on stunrays. Probably not.

‘She’s good,’ Poe put the blaster back in his belt and stared at Kina in awe. ‘She got like eight of them.’

‘And you got like two,’ Kina jumped out from behind the chair. ‘Step your game up, Dameron. Now, move it.’ she ran to Kylo and checked whether the guys he had knocked out where actually knocked out by throwing off their helmets and poking them in the face. Completely unnecessarily. He was perfectly capable of knocking people out.

‘That’s not fair, you had cover. I didn’t,’ Poe complained while catching up with them. Kina hushed him. He made a face at her. She took one of the stormtroopers’ helmets off the floor and got up, stamping at Poe. For a second, it looked like she was going to throw it in his face. It would’ve been a nice sight, but she handed it to him instead.

‘Listen to that,’ she said when he frowned. ‘We’re going to have company. I’d suggest we leave before they arrive.’

‘Security breach. All units on high alert,’ Poe said, holding the helmet to his ear. ‘That doesn’t sound good.’

‘Indeed,’ Kina nodded. ‘Let’s go.’

‘No argument there,’ Kylo said, pressing the button to open the door and hoping he wouldn’t get shot the moment he stepped outside.

‘That’s a first,’ Kina said, putting her blaster back in her boot.

‘Is that ship still ready?’ Kylo asked.

‘Yup,’ Kina said. ‘We’re just going to calmly walk out of here like nothing happened. Chances are they don’t know where or who we are.’

‘That sounds like a horrible idea,’ Kylo said when the doors slid open. ‘Got a back-up plan?’

‘And he’s arguing again,’ Poe muttered, stepping over the pile of stormtroopers.

‘Back-up plan’s we run,’ Kina said, taking a deep breath and walking out of the door.

‘Reassuring,’ Kylo whispered and followed her, Poe right behind him. There was no time to discuss strategy. They indeed calmly walked out of the door. The airfield was in complete chaos. Stormtroopers stamped around, shoving everyone out of the way. Officers were either shouting orders or retreating to a safer location. Kylo bowed his head and hurried after Kina. Poe popped up next to him, grabbing his arm again and dragging him along.

‘Stop doing that,’ Kylo bit in a low voice. Saying that aloud to an officer was not a good idea if you planned on staying under the radar.

‘Just in case you pass out again,’ Poe said. ‘Or in case you feel like jumping out there and announcing your presence again.’

‘Good idea,’ Kina glanced over her shoulder. ‘Keep that duncy under control.’

‘I’ll try, but I can make no promises,’ Poe muttered, putting his other hand in Kylo’s neck for some reason and pushing him forwards.

‘Stop calling me that and let go off me,’ Kylo whispered. ‘I can walk by myself.’

‘I know,’ Poe said. ‘That’s the entire problem. Did Leia ever put a leash on you?’

‘Excuse me?’ Kylo stopped to glare at him.

‘Stop bickering and get a move on,’ Kina hissed. ‘Those guys are looking at us.’ Poe shoved him forwards without warning. Kylo took a deep breath and allowed it. Having an argument with someone looking like an officer in the middle of an emergency situation would get normal personnel sent to reconditioning. A bunch of intruders would just get killed. He looked at who Kina had been referring to instead. A couple of troopers were talking to an officer, indeed pointing in their direction. One of them caught him looking.

‘Don’t look,’ Poe gave him another shove. Kylo turned his head back forwards and took a large step forward, tearing himself loose. Poe had had his fun.

‘Stop right there,’ a voice bellowed with the authority of an officer.

‘Well done,’ Kina mocked and stopped walking. ‘Don’t try anything else. I mean it.’ Kylo touched the tarp in front of his face and stepped aside, making way for Poe who would have to do the talking. Personnel was supposed to keep their mouths shut while officers were talking. Kina grabbed his wrist and dragged him farther away, looking meekly at the ground the whole time. Her acting skills bordered on legendary.

‘Can I see your documentation?’ the officer, a corporal, asked, backed up by the troopers.

‘Of course,’ Poe said with that same ridiculous voice as earlier, pulling the datapad from his jacket and handing it over. ‘Is there a problem?’

‘Yes, there is,’ the corporal said, scanning the datapad. ‘The base is on high alert. Surely, you have been informed?’

‘Yes, yes,’ Poe nodded. ‘Of course, I have been. I do not see how that has any bearing on me. I’m simply passing through.’

‘On the authority of Captain Palloyu, signed yesterday,’ the corporal said. ‘Interesting.’ The look on his face indicated amusement rather than interest. ‘Must be of importance. I’ll let you be then, but I have to inform you the base is on lockdown. No one will be leaving.’

‘We’re in quite the hurry,’ Poe bluffed and overstepped his bounds by a mile. ‘We will be leaving at once. What was your name again?’

‘Corporal Ganmate,’ the corporal frowned, glancing once at the stormtroopers behind him. ‘I do not believe we had the pleasure of meeting.’

‘We did not,’ Poe nodded. ‘I’m Captain, uh, Flint. Captain Zacken Flint.’ The insignia on Poe’s jacket indicated the rank of sergeant, but if Ganmate was bothered by it, he didn’t let it on. Kina’s grip on his wrist tightened.

‘Well met, Captain Flint,’ Ganmate saluted. ‘Gessa Ganmate at your service.’ This guy had no right to have been laughing at Palloyu’s name. Kylo looked away. The tarp wasn’t going to save him this time. Kina pinched his wrist and bit her lip. She was having as much trouble not to snort as he did.

‘Well met,’ Poe nodded, jabbing his nose in the air. ‘We’ll be going then. You two,’ he turned around and gestured at Kina and Kylo. ‘Hurry up, we haven’t got all day.’

‘Yes, Sir,’ Kina said and moved away. Kylo hesitated a moment. This was too easy. No officer would let this pass as easily as Ganmate had. This had to be a trap.

‘Uh, Sir, if I may,’ One of the stormtroopers stepped forward and spoke.

‘Let’s go,’ Kina hissed in his ear and dragged him away. Poe strolled leisurely after them.

‘You may not,’ Ganmate said. ‘Get back to the search. We’ve wasted enough time on your suspicions.’

‘But Captain Palloyu has been injured on the battlefield a week ago. He has been relieved from duty while he recovers,’ the trooper said anyway. Speaking out of turn would normally not have been worth the trouble for a stormtrooper. A reprimand would have been the least they could’ve expected. This information however, would have been worth it. They were screwed. Kina cursed under her breath and nearly cut off the blood flow in his wrist.

‘Strange,’ Ganmate rubbed his chin. ‘I’m sure there is an explanation for this, Captain.’

‘Of course, there is,’ Poe turned around with an annoyed expression on his face, but with sweat dripping down his face. Definitely screwed.

‘Here’s your explanation,’ Kina crouched down and grabbed her blaster from her boot, shooting at Ganmate. It missed him by a hair width. He stared at Kina with open mouth. Who lacked subtlety now? At least his plan had worked. Kylo pushed the Force under his feet forwards, causing a wave of it to rush through the ground, knocking over the stormtroopers.

‘Okay,’ Poe pressed his lips together. ‘There goes the plan.’ He recoiled his arm and punched Ganmate in the face. The poor corporal fell to the ground, among his troopers. ‘Back-up plan?’ he yelled over the distance

‘Yup,’ Kina said. ‘Now we run.’ Kylo didn’t wait for anyone to take his arm and ran. Right on time too, a blast razed past his back. Kina rolled past him and returned to her feet, barely having dodged the blast herself.

‘They saw us,’ Poe yelled helpfully. Being shot at implied as much.

‘Don’t shoot back,’ Kina shouted back. ‘Just run.’ Kylo looked around. Poe was still standing at the same spot, blaster drawn. Ganmate’s soldiers were recovering themselves. Ganmate himself stayed perfectly still in the ground. A handful of soldiers came flooding out from between the ships. Poe lowered his blaster and turned on his heels, racing after them. he didn’t get very far. A small ball landed in front of him, just a foot away. Poe stopped dead in his tracks and stared. Kylo moved to do something, that damn thing was a grenade, but before he could contain the blast, it went off. He and Kina were blown backward by what must’ve been several yards.

When he recovered himself, Kina was already dragging him to his feet. He struggled up. Smoke and dust blocked his view. There was no way to know where he was.

‘This way,’ Kina yelled over the commotion, pulling him towards their left.

‘How do you know?’ Kylo asked while following her. It was as good an option as any.

‘I don’t,’ she said. ‘But there are ships in all directions. We just have to choose one.’

‘So, we’re going with just any ship now?’ he asked. ‘What if it’s locked?’

‘I’ll hack it,’ she answered. ‘But leave that to me. Did you see where Poe went?’

‘No, but I can try to find him with the Force, but we’ll need to slow down,’ Kylo said. ‘I can’t concentrate like this.’

‘Alright, but hurry up. The dust’s clearing,’ Kina said, coming to an abrupt halt.

‘Got it,’ Kylo pressed his eyes shut and imagined the Force like a grid. The squares were as clear as a hologram in his mind. He reached out and moved ripples through the Force until he found the presence he was looking for. Poe was slowly, but steadily moving away from them. He was confused and unsteady but didn’t seem to experience any pain or fear. A wave of relief rolled through his presence. He must’ve had better luck finding a way out than they had. ‘He’s fine. He’s finding a way out by himself.’ If the piloting classes they had gone to together were anything to go on, Poe was perfectly capable of commandeering a ship himself.

‘Good,’ Kina said. ‘Get ready. I’m beginning to see our surroundings, which means they can see us. I’ll count to three, then we run straight ahead. We’ll pick the first ship we see, no arguing about it. We can’t afford that.’

‘Got it,’ Kylo opened his eyes and looked ahead. The shapes of ships were already discernible beyond the dust. The ground shifted under him. It had still taken him far more energy than it should have.

‘One, two,’ Kina counted. Kylo braced himself to start running. ‘Three.’ They sprinted both straight forward. The first ship was a small transport, not meant for battle. The weaponry would be next to nothing. The shields, however, should be of at least standard quality. It would have to do. His legs could barely support his weight. The ground was still unsteady under his feet. Kina raced ahead of him unto the ramp and began abusing the control panel at the entrance.

‘It’s them,’ a voice shouted. Kylo turned on his heels. A blast shot over his head. Another one followed immediately behind. He barely managed to dodge it. A third flew by a good bit away from him. He followed it with his eyes. It hit less than a feet away from Kina. She ducked away as far as she could while still being able to reach the control panel. Kylo slowly stepped back towards the ship. A squad of stormtroopers gathered in front of them. Another blast hit at his feet. The next went for Kina. He couldn’t see whether it would’ve actually hit, but he stopped it anyway. Kina needed all cover she could get. No further shots followed, even though the number of soldiers steadily increased. A handful of officers entered the scene as well. Even a few technicians came to see what was going on. Every single one of them had eyes for just one thing. They all pointed at something behind him. Kylo turned to see, still slowly backing away. The blast he had stopped was still hanging mid-air. Not an everyday sight. Such a little trick and everyone had been frozen in their place about it.

‘Don’t be distracted,’ an officer ordered, screeching through the silence. ‘Keep shooting. Don’t let them get away.’ The soldiers and the officers were broken out of their trance and came back into motion. Kylo threw one more glance over his shoulder. The ship was locked. Kina needed more time.

He did the only thing he could think of. These people had been stupefied by a single frozen blaster shot. He’d give them something to be impressed about. Their chances of being subtle had stopped the moment they broke into the registration building. He summoned his saber to his hand. It slipped out from under his belt and flew into his hand. The army in front of him froze all over again before they had recovered themselves enough to resume fire. He waved it around above his head for extra effect. A gasp went through the crowd.

‘It’s just one man,’ the same officer yelled. ‘fire!’ he took the initiative himself this time. Kylo roughly calculated the trajectory of the blast. Having Snoke Force-throwing things at your head gave you quite a sense for it. Anyway, the blast went a few inches from his head. He bowed his head a little to the side to give the impression he had dodged it. The soldiers who had been aiming their weapons put them down again for a second.

‘Fire!’ the heated officer shouted. The soldiers recovered themselves once again. This asked for a new approach. He ripped the tarp aside, revealing his face. With any luck, Hux had issued a bulletin with his face on it by now.

‘Looking for me?’ he shouted, making sure they could all hear him.

‘Cease fire!’ the officer backpedaled. ‘take him alive. Orders form Supreme leader himself.’ So, Snoke intended on capturing him alive. Good to know. Let’s give him a run for his money. He couldn’t pull off a fight in his current condition, but he would never even need to. Confusion would do the trick.

‘Well done, quite impressive,’ Kylo took another stepbackwards. A handful of stormtroopers approached slowly, holding out riot control batons. Amusing enough, they thought it fitting. The rest formed a circle around them, blocking all ways out. He quickly glanced over his shoulder. Kina was hacking the ship completely unbothered.

‘Put down your weapon, Sir,’ a squad commander said. ‘You are under arrest.’

‘Am I now?’ Kylo frowned in feigned surprise. ‘Ah, yes. You’ve captured me. I guess the game is over now. I’ve had my fun. Time to all go home, isn’t it?’

‘Sir?’ the stormtrooper lowered his baton. ‘Please, put your weapon down.’

‘Of course. You’ve won,’ Kylo lowered his blade but didn’t put it away. ‘Truly excellent work. You should all be proud of yourselves.’

‘Sir?’ the trooper expressed confusion through voice and body language alone. Still, if helmets could’ve blinked, his would have. ‘Do you surrender?’

‘Yes, yes,’ Kylo nodded. ‘Just a minute. I just wanted to say you your work is admirable. You should all go to Snoke and tell him about, uhm, about-.’ Kina had better hurry up. He was running out of things to say.

‘Now, Duncy,’ Kina shouted as if on cue.

‘Go to Snoke and tell him to piss off,’ Kylo concluded and turned on his heels, sprinting to the ships’ now open entrance. An offended gasp rose up behind him while he jumped up the ramp. Kina had already taken cover inside.

‘What the hell?’ she asked while closing the door.

‘I had to improvise,’ he ran for the cockpit.

‘You suck at improvising,’ she bit, right behind him.

‘You got everything you needed. About Starkiller base?’ he opened the door to the cockpit.

‘All I could get. It’s up to them now,’ she looked around the cockpit.

‘Good, because we’re getting out of here,’ he dropped into the pilot’s seat and started the engines. The ship rocked up and down all the while. They were trying to ram down the door. For some reason, the buttons didn’t suffice. ‘What did you do to that door?’

‘Put a new password on it,’ Kina grinned as she sat down in the copilot’s seat and activated the shields. ‘They’re not getting in here.’

‘Especially not now,’ Kylo pulled the yoke back, sending the ship straight up. The banging at the door ceased immediately. No doubt they were about to get some ships to shoot down theirs. He disabled the safety protocols.

‘And I thought you were a dunce,’ Kina burst out in laughter. ‘You were completely messing with them the entire time and they had no clue.’

‘People are easily confused,’ Kylo activated the navicomputer and picked the safest route. What he was going to do was considered to be near impossible. Near impossible was still better than nothing.

‘They are,’ Kina agreed, leaning over the control panel and frowning. ‘Why are you prepping for lightspeed?’

‘Because we’re in a hurry,’ he looked out through the windshield. Plenty of ships were moving down there.

‘We’re also still in the atmosphere,’ Kina bit. ‘Ever heard of gravity?’

‘Plenty of it,’ Kylo steered the ship in the right direction. ‘Experienced it earlier today. Someone kicked me off a fence.’ He verified the route to the navicomputer.

‘Stop that,’ Kina said. ‘You’re going to kill us both.’

‘No time to mind the details,’ he turned the hyperdrive on. ‘Hold on, here we go.’

 


	13. family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fixed:). This one is split in two because it got too long.

Finn pushed himself off the couch when Solo came stomping out of the cockpit. Chewie was pulling wires and gears from a hatch in the wall of the cockpit and shoving them back. He flinched a few times when his movements had been too rash. His wounds must’ve still hurt but he seemed too frenzied to sit still. The news had hit him almost as hard as it had Han. Even Rey had been shaken by it all and she had the least connection with it out of all of them. He quickly glanced at her. She was curled up into a ball right next to where he had been sitting, snoring softly. She had simply lied down beside him and fell asleep while he was pretending to be. It had something endearing. Solo had gone to rummaging about in a storage unit. Finn took a deep breath and approached. Best to just get it over with.

‘Hey, Solo,’ Finn called hesitantly. ‘I don’t know what we’re walking into, but-.’

‘Did you just call me “Solo”?’ he looked around with an incredulous expression on his face. His eyes were still bloodshot and puffy. Now might not be the best time, but there wasn’t exactly another time to bring up the issue.

‘Han, Uhm, Mister Solo,’ he corrected himself. ‘You should know I’m a big deal in the resistance which puts a real target in my back. Are there any conspirators here? First Order sympathisers?’ Alright, that target had come from elsewhere, but Han didn’t need to know that. He was in a state to blast anything and anyone to do with the First Order on the spot, without question. Han looked at him for a second then turned back to the storage unit.

‘You’ve got another problem, Big Deal,’ he pulled out a blaster from the shelves. Finn took a step back. Had he slipped up? Had Solo figured it out? He moved to run.

‘Women always figure out the truth,’ Solo pushed the blaster in his hands. ‘Always.’ He repeated the word loudly and clearly before storming off. Relieved to not have a hole between his eyes, Finn let him go. He shoved the blaster on his belt. He might have to use it if Han insisted on going ahead with his revenge plans. Kylo, uhm, Ben, What was he supposed to call him now? Surely, he would have had a reason to take on a new name. Finn was the last to deny anyone that right. If he did, he might as well go back to calling himself FN-2187. Kylo it was.

Whatever the case, Kylo would’ve benefitted nothing from Solo throwing himself at the First Order, still Solo was determined to do so. That’s where Kylo had gotten his disregard for safety from. It had caused hilarious scenarios.

One time when he had been a cadet, he had been sent along with a squad on their way to provide backup for Kylo, but they had gotten stuck at a shoddy bridge tied above a mile deep canyon. Kylo had apparently just run over it and gone ahead instead of waiting for the backup to arrive. It had taken way too long to find him. Things had gotten messy. Hux had to be involved. It had all rather been a drag. There had been some sort of struggle with the locals. Turned out Kylo had strutted unto their sacred ground without asking permission. Not that he knew for sure, he had been left in the camp during the action. Ren popped up sometime later, about the same time Hux arrived. The other troopers had told him to sit down and enjoy the show. He hadn’t understood what they meant at first, but it became more than clear after a few moments. Hux had pulled out an entire speech while Kylo picked poison darts from his cloak and tossed them at Hux’s feet. Hux had turned various shades of red and purple before he had given up on trying to talk common sense into Kylo. It had damned little effect too. Kylo had just disappeared the next day to ask the locals what poison they had used. That was supposedly the last incident before Snoke ordered Kylo to keep a tracker on him at all times. Even after that, the guy had managed to disappear plenty of times.

Maybe he should tell Solo a few of those stories after things cleared up a bit. It might cheer him up at least a bit. It would be difficult to explain how he knew them, but he’d think of something. His thoughts were interrupted by Rey letting out a ridiculously loud snore. Even Chewie looked up a second before resuming his work. Finn bit his lip to hold down his laughter. He shouldn’t wake her up. She rolled over in her sleep, somehow not tumbling off the couch. His laughter died in his throat. She had trusted him completely and he had lied to her without a second thought. It had seemed so obvious a thing at the time, but now it caused a pit in his stomach.

 

 

* * *

 

 

‘Hi, Rey? Are you awake?’ Finn tapped her shoulder. ‘We’re there.’ She sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. The face of the boy had haunted her dreams. It had been nearly six years since he was dragged away from her. Han’s loss must’ve awoken the memory.

She looked around. Chewie was in the cockpit, repairing the damage she had done when she had bypassed the compressor. Han was nowhere to be seen.

‘Where’s Han?’ Rey asked. ‘Is he alright?’

‘He’s, well, still shaken,’ Finn bit his lip. ‘He went outside. I think he needs some space. I wanted to say something, about his kid, but it would be too fast.’

‘Yeah, it would be,’ Rey agreed. ‘It’s all so terrible. So you were there when he died?’

‘Yes,’ Finn shook his head. ‘I feel like I should’ve been able to do something about it, but it all happened so fast. He and Poe were gone before I knew it.’

‘Don’t blame yourself,’ Rey put a hand on his shoulder. ‘I’m sure you did all you could. Sometimes things are just beyond your control.’

‘I know,’ Finn said. ‘But Solo isn’t going to help Kylo by throwing himself at the First Order. I really hope he calms down.’

‘He already did,’ Rey told him. ‘He going to see his wife first.’ She blinked for a moment. ‘Kylo? I thought Han said his name was Ben?’

‘Well yes,’ Finn sighed. ‘But he must’ve chosen to be called that for a reason. I feel I should respect that. Names are important.’

‘I guess they are,’ Rey nodded, although she didn’t agree. You couldn’t just abandon the name your parents gave you. ‘I  just can’t imagine what it must be like for Han.’

‘Me neither,’ Finn leaned down on the game table. ‘You know, I never knew my parents. We were separated right after I was born.’

‘What happened?’ Rey asked.

‘I’d rather not talk about it,’ he shook his head. ‘I’d just like to think they’re still thinking about me, wherever they are.’

‘I’m sure they are,’ Rey said. ‘Parents will never forget about you. No matter how far away you are.’

‘How about you?’ Finn looked up. ‘Where are your parents?’

‘I’m not sure,’ Rey bit her lip. ‘But they’ll be back.’

‘Back?’ Finn blinked. ‘They’re gone?’

‘It’s a long story, really,’ Rey pushed herself from the couch. She was not going to have this conversation now. ‘I’ll go outside and check on Han.’

‘You do that,’ Finn stared with open mouth while she walked away. The moment she got out of sight, she ran.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

There was more green on the square foot she was standing on than she’d ever seen in her life. More grass grew under just her feet than she would’ve normally have seen in a year. Just how many things grew on this planet? How many trees were there? Did the grass grow on the entire surface? Did it grew inside that castle on the hill over there? Did they even need floors if there was no sand?

‘Hey kid,’ Han interrupted her train of thoughts. She had completely forgotten about trying to find him the moment she had stepped outside. Instead, he had just come to her. He still didn’t look too good, but at least not as frantic as he had been inside the cockpit. ‘You might need this,’ he held out a blaster.

‘I think I can handle myself,’ Rey said. She had gotten herself through plenty of fights without one.

‘I know you do,’ Han smiled for just a second. It was at least improvement. They might be able to talk him out of rushing in headfirst by the time they got to Leia. ‘That’s why I’m giving it to you. Just take it. It’ll be safer.’ Rey hesitated a second but took the blaster. People out here were a lot more trigger-happy than anyone on Jakku. She tested the weight in her hand. It was lighter than any blaster she’d ever taken apart. The design wasn’t standard issue either.

‘Do you know how to use it?’ Han asked. A flash of sadness went over his face. Had he thought his son how to use one of these?

‘You pull the trigger,’ she lifted the blaster into position to test the aim. It seemed pretty straight forward.

‘There’s a little more to it than that,’ Han pushed the blaster back down. ‘You’ve got a lot to learn. You’ve got a name?’

‘Rey,’ she looked down at the blaster. Many of the ones she had salvaged had all kinds of strange and excessive adjustments to it. This one only had the basics. Perfect to start with. Han had taken into consideration that she had no experience with these things. He would’ve to have been a great father. Just what had happened for his son to join the Order?

‘Rey,’ Han chewed on his lip. ‘You know, I’ve been thinking. Chewie and I could use an extra hand. Someone who appreciates the Falcon. Who can keep up. A second mate. Things are going to get messy from now on, but when that’s all over. We could use the extra hands.’

‘Are you offering me a job?’ Rey asked, her jaw dropping. Han Solo, the best smuggler in the galaxy was offering her a job.

‘I’m thinking about it,’ Han said. ‘It wouldn’t pay much. I wouldn’t be very nice to you. I’m not even sure how things are going to play out from now on, but what do you say?’

Rey was about to take the offer when she recalled the state Han had been when he heard about Ben. She couldn’t so that to her parents. ‘I’d be flattered, but I have to get home. Family business.’

‘I see,’ Han sighed. ‘That comes first.’

‘My parents,’ Rey looked at the ground. ‘They’ll get worried if I stay away any longer.’

‘I understand,’ Han nodded. ‘We wouldn’t want that. You should go home then.’

‘Yeah, I will,’ Rey assured him. ‘As soon as BB-8 gets to the resistance. I’ll go see where he is. I haven’t seen him in a while.’ She turned to leave.

‘Rey,’ Han called. She glanced back. ‘If you ever change your mind, let me know. Chewie really likes you.’

 

* * *

 

 

 

Poe crawled away under the massive curtain of dust. He couldn’t see a damn thing. Not even Ben or Kina, but he couldn’t just keep laying around. He had to get a move on. Blood pooled on his hand, but he felt no pain. Either adrenaline was a hell of a drug or his nerves were damaged. Either way, his arm still moved and that was what mattered. He pushed himself forward over the debris the explosion had tossed around. There had to be an end to this. A hand grabbed his collar and hoisted him to his feet. That had better be Kina. He had no patience left to deal with Ben’s whining.

He blinked the dust from his eyes and looked at his saviour. On second thought, Ben’s whining wouldn’t be too bad. Ganmate’s good eye looked straight at him, the other was swollen shut. He didn’t look like he had appreciated the punch in his face and he had a good grip on Poe’s collar. Poe swallowed. If he ever got out if this on he would have a good story to tell around the bonfire.

‘You nearly blew my cover, idiot,’ Ganmate hissed, not at all shoving a blaster in his face.

‘Huh?’ Poe squinted. What damn cover? Had he knocked this guy’s brain a little too hard?

‘This way, you fuck,’ Ganmate dragged him ahead through the dust cloud. Poe nearly tripped on something. He looked down to check. A stormtrooper arm apparently. He had just crawled straight to the pile of First Order nuts. One of the stormtroopers stirred and looked up.

‘Sir,’ the trooper called. ‘The enemy, he’s right behind you.’ He grabbed the nearest blaster from the ground.

‘I know,’ Ganmate took his own blaster from his belt and shot the trooper back down. What was going on?

‘What are you doing?’ Poe asked, scanning his surroundings. The dust began to clear. ‘Where are you taking me?’

‘Out of here,’  Ganmate shoved his blaster back in his belt. ‘If you want to live, I’d suggest you shut up and look dazed. We’re going out of this dust cloud.’ He put his other hand on Poe’s back and shoved him forwards, right out through the dust and into full sight of everyone in the docking bay.

‘What? Don’t,’ Poe protested as Ganmate pushed him straight through a squad of troopers.

‘Make way,’ Ganmate bellowed. ‘Officer down. I repeat, officer down.’ By some miracle, the squad parted to let them through. Acting dazed took little effort.

‘Who are you? Are you an actual officer?’ Poe whispered. Probably not, an actual officer would’ve shot him, not saved his life by messing with a bunch of troopers.

‘Gessa Ganmate,’ Ganmate hissed in his ear while he led him through the opening the troopers had made.

‘You said that, but that’s not your real name, is it?’ Poe said in a low voice. Ganmate grinned a second before putting his face back into a neutral expression. Poe tried to grasp what was so funny, then it hit him. ‘Guess again, mate?’

‘Exactly,’ Ganmate, or whatever his name was, nodded. ‘Now, shut up. We have to look convincing.’ That was a lot harder now. This guy had just used a complete joke as an alias and the Order had fallen for it. Poe had to bite his lip to keep an obvious grin from spreading on his face. This was too good.

‘Where are Kina and Ben?’ he asked while fighting down the grin. ‘Are they still out there?’

‘You mean Kylo Ren?’ Not-Ganmate asked. Poe scoffed. No bloody way he was going to say that dumbass name. Leia would smack him and she’d be right about it. ‘Ah, we have a situation.’ Not-Ganmate stopped shoving him around for a second. Poe looked up. A mass of white armour had gathered around a transport ship. A few officers stood back, probably dishing out orders. The troopers were forming a circle around the ship’s entrance.

‘What’s going on there?’ Poe asked. Surely, Kina would’ve stopped Ben from pulling that much attention to himself. Although, she had almost shot Not-Ganmate. Did she even know Not-Ganmate was on their side?

‘We’re going to have to see,’ Not-Ganmate pushed him forwards again. ‘Your way out is behind that circus.’ Some stormtroopers glanced over their soldiers when they passed. One motioned to help. ‘Make way,’ Not-Ganmate repeated with the same unnecessary volume. ‘Officer down. I’m transporting him to the medbay.’

‘Is there a medbay around here? Poe asked when the troopers turned back towards the commotion.

‘Yeah, in the other direction,’ Not-Ganmate whispered in his ear. ‘The morons. They see an officer talking and all independent thought is out of the window. Hux made sure of that.’

‘I knew a guy,’ Poe said. ‘He got out of this all by himself, just because he knew it was the right thing to do. Also a stormtrooper. They’re not all like that.’ Finn had done plenty of independent thinking when he had saved his life.

‘I know,’ Not-Ganmate said. ‘Some manage to stay relatively decent. Those guys are welcome with us. The rest is beyond our help.’

‘Cease fire!’ a voice ordered. ‘Take him alive. Orders from Supreme leader himself.’

‘That ain’t good,’ Poe tiptoed to see over the crowd. There was exactly one target in here that Snoke would be interested in capturing alive. Dammit, Ben.

The red glow of Ben’s light saber emerged above the masses. Poe dug his heels into the ground and took a deep breath. Just how many times did Leia drop him on the head? Was he planning on fighting every person in here?

‘Pretend to take a breather,’ Not-Ganmate said. ‘I want to see what’s going on here.’ Poe let his eyes roll back in his head and swayed around a bit. Not-Ganmate held him up by the shoulders.

‘Over there, by the entrance,’ Not-Ganmate hissed. ‘She’s hacking the lock.’ Poe glanced through the corners of his eyes. Kina was crouching by the ship’s outside control panel and shoving on of her toys unto it.

‘We have to do something,’ Poe whispered, trying to move his mouth as little as possible. He was supposed to be ‘officer down’.

‘Nothing we can do,’ Not-Ganmate said. ‘We won’t even have too. She’s the best we’ve got.’

‘She’s pretty good, yeah,’ Poe agreed, then furrowed his brow. ‘You know her?’

‘Yes,’ Not-Ganmate whispered. ‘We’ve worked together every now and then.’

‘She tried to shoot you,’ Poe reminded him.

‘Because you were about to blow my cover, Dipshit,’ Not-Ganmate hissed. ‘What was that all about? I couldn’t actually have pretended to fall for that.’

‘I panicked,’ Poe admitted. The crowd had gone completely silent, except for a few mutters from the middle. One of those voices sounded damn familiar. ‘Ssssht, I think I’m hearing Ben.’

‘Just a minute,’ Ben’s voice rose over the crowd. ‘I just wanted to say you your work is admirable. You should all go to Snoke and tell him about, uhm, about, uh.’ What was he even trying now? Did he honestly think he was going to talk his way out of this?

‘This is going wrong,’ Poe hissed.

‘Give it a second,’ Not-Ganmate chuckled. ‘It’s working. They haven’t shot him yet.’ Miracles were piling up today. Not-Ganmate was right. Ben was talking too much to be in immediate danger. The door of the ship slid open and Kina jumped to her feet, shouting something and running inside.

‘Go to Snoke and tell him to piss off,’ Ben’s voice echoed over the field. If Ben was thinking about running back to the First Order, he could, well, guess again, mate. Shocked gasps went through the crowd. Snoke wasn’t going to be thanking him for that.

‘Let’s get a move on,’ Not-Ganmate shoved him ahead.

‘Kina will knock his skull for that,’ Poe grinned.

‘That’s what she calls herself now, is it?’ Not-Ganmate chuckled. ‘That’s the fourth in the last three months.’

Poe sighed. Unsurprisingly, Kina had not been her real name. She had been way ahead of them the entire time.

‘Right this way, Sir,’ Not-Ganmate whispered mockingly. ‘Your ship is all set. Just walk in and wait for the worst of the commotion to pass. When other ships start rising up, so can you. Might want to get that arm checked out, though.’ Poe blinked and looked down at his arm. Blood had not only pooled on his hand but throughout his entire sleeve. No wonder everyone had just let him be. He stretched his finger and then clenched his fists. His muscles worked, but he still felt nothing. That could use some bacta. Time to go home.

‘I don’t know your name,’ Poe stepped to the ship in front of him. An orange cloth was tied to one of the engines. Kina’s initial escape plan. Although, Ben’s improvised plan seemed to have worked as well. The ship they had snatched was already a good bit away from the planet’s surface.

‘And neither should you,’ Not-Ganmate said and nodded at the distance. ‘That’s your cue. See you around, maybe.’ Fighters took off to pursue the stolen ship. The rest of the transport seemed to resume as well. Smaller, non-combatant ships rose up as well, although moving the other way than the fighters.

‘Alright,’ Poe walked onto the ramp. ‘Thanks for everything and sorry about punching you.’

‘Move it,’ Not-Ganmate said. ‘You’re going to blow my cover all over again.’

‘I won’t forget this,’ Poe said and hurried inside, closing the door behind him and making way for the cockpit. He dropped down into the Pilot’s seat just into to see Ben’s and Not-Kina’s ship to jump to lightspeed, leaving the fighters to fly around in confusion. The docking bay below was complete and utter chaos. Stormtroopers were stomping around like disorganised ants. Officers were shouting and pointing in all directions, confusing the poor troopers. Poe burst out in laughter. _Go to Snoke and tell him to piss off._ Just wait until he told Leia about this. She’d be damn proud of that dunce of a son of hers.

 


	14. A new beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All fixed now. I rewrote all existing chapters and added some new elements to it. Lesson learned, don't rush through writing. If any of the chapters still came out as rather flat, please let me know. I'll upload the next chapters when they're ready.

‘Are we still alive?’ Kina clasped the sides off her chair when a shudder went through the ship, signaling they had left hyperspace. Kylo had purposely chosen the shortest route. Gravitational pull was indeed a bit of a problem. No need to push their luck.

‘We seem to be,’ Kylo said, checking the remaining fuel levels. There was still plenty left to make another jump, which was nice considering the shortest route had led them in the middle of space. Jakku still being the closest inhabited planet and he wasn’t going back there, stormtroopers or not. The sand was bad enough on its own.

‘Don’t do that again, Duncy,’ she let go of her chair and relaxed. It seemed that nickname was going to stick. ‘Where are we?’

‘Nowhere,’ Kylo said. ‘I couldn’t exactly be picky about destinations. Did you get the intel to the resistance?’

‘I did,’ she nodded. ‘It was a bit risky. I had to open up a two-way connection between the Order’s main database and the computers on a resistance base. Mom’s going to kill me for risking it, but it worked. The intel should reach General Organa within a day.’

‘I doubt they can stop it,’ Kylo crossed his arms. ‘It’s just too powerful.’

‘Have some faith in your mother,’ Kina said. ‘She has pulled off bigger victories. Your parents helped blew a death star, twice.’

‘Oh, I have no doubt she will try. She always does,’ Kylo shook his head. ‘But this is much bigger than the Deathstar. I’m afraid they won’t stand a chance.’

‘We did all we could,’ Kina sighed. ‘It’s up to your mother and the resistance now.’

‘Yeah, it is,’ Kylo said. They could do not with just the two of them and a stolen transport ship. The resistance was the only thing standing between Starkiller base and the Hosnian system. Hux and his damn project. Then he realised something else. ‘Wait? My mother? You know? How?’ Snoke had taken more than a few precautions to erase any trace from his past, both external as in his own mind. One of those precautions currently decorated the skin on his back.

‘My brother told me about the rumours. I didn’t believe them at first. Plenty of rumours had been going around, anyway,’ Kina shrugged. ‘Some people thought you were Darth vader’s clone. Some even thought you were his ghost reincarnated. Turns out your just his grandson. Makes a lot more sense.’ The existence of ghosts aside, those rumours were just ridiculous.

‘What convinced you?’ Kylo asked.

‘Poe spilled it, about six times,’ Kina made a face. ‘I hope he makes a better pilot than he would make a spy.’

‘He has that going for him, at least,’ Kylo admitted. They had both been at the top of their class as kids. Kina remained silent, closely studying him. He had to suppress the urge to put the tarp back in front of his face. It was still full of sand.

‘Ben Solo, I assume,’ she finally spoke. ‘Let’s get you to your mother. Welcome back to the right side.’

‘No,’ Ben said immediately. ‘I’m not going to the resistance. I can drop you off wherever you want, or you can drop me off wherever is convenient, but I’m not going there.’

‘Okay, then,’ Kina blinked. ‘Can’t make you, I guess. But why? You’ll be safe.’

‘No, I won’t,’ Kylo shook his head. ‘I’m the First Order’s secret weapon. They won’t have me, not even my mother.’

‘Are you sure about that?’ Kina cocked her head. ‘Mothers usually don’t throw their kids out.’

‘Mine will. She has done so before and she’ll do it again if it means keeping her resistance safe,’ Kylo took a deep breath. It still stung, even after all these years. They had just discarded him when he had become too much trouble. Left him for Luke to deal with. Luke had also made it quite clear he had feared him more than he had loved him. The image of the green saber raised above his head invaded his mind. He pushed it down. Luke was too far away to hurt him.

‘I’d guess you’d know her better than me,’ Kina said, even though her voice clearly betrayed her doubt. ‘Where will you go?’

‘I don’t know,’ Kylo shrugged. ‘I’ll see where I’ll end up.’ Not a solid plan, but it was his only option. He had nowhere to go. Snoke had been right about that much. Kina threw him an unreadable look and closed her eyes as if she was concentrating.

‘Ben?’ she said after a solid five minutes of silence. Ben, his name. He hadn’t heard it in years. Not even his knights had used since the struggle at the temple. Snoke had forbidden its very use. Yet, she had said it so carelessly, like it didn’t even make a difference. Poe had called him that too, but that had been normal. It had also given away his identity, but alright. Poe would have laughed in his face if he had asked him to call him Kylo. ‘Will you come with me?’

‘What other options do I have?’ he let out a laugh. ‘We’re on the same ship, remember? You expect me to float somewhere?’

‘Hilarious, Duncy,’ she rolled her eyes. ‘I mean, after that. You can come with me. There’s a place, my home. You’ll be safe there. It’s still with the resistance, but at least it won’t be like the First Order. It’s also not under your mother’s control.’

‘What do you mean?’ Kylo blinked. All the resistance was under his mother’s control. She had built it up from the ground.

‘My network is independent,’ Kina bit her lip. ‘We’ve always opposed the First Order, even before the resistance popped up. We support your mother’s cause, but we are not under her command.’ Kylo chewed his lip. She was offering a safe place to lay low. In the middle of a resistance base. She was taking quite a leap of faith in offering to bring him there. But even if he took her up on it, her allies wouldn’t want Snoke’s attack dog under their roof. It was more of the same problem. She saw his hesitation. ‘You know, I can also arrange for someone to bring you farther into the Outer Rim. I know you don’t care for the resistance. Escaping the First Order is one thing, fighting them is another. I completely understand if you choose to go your own way.’

‘I’m not running and I’m not hiding,’ Kylo stopped her. He was going to fight. Burning him had been one thing, destroying an entire system, his home planet among them, had gone too far. Snoke had crossed the line. Nothing he bloody said would convince him it was all for the greater good.

‘It doesn’t seem to be your style,’ Kina laughed. ‘You know, my mother will be glad to have someone like you on our side. You’ve got guts and we can appreciate that. Actually, you would fit right in with the rest of us.’

‘Would I get to piss off Snoke?’ Kylo asked.

‘It’s our main objective,’ she snickered. ‘Why? Planning on joining after all?’

‘Yes,’ Kylo said. ‘I’m in.’

‘That’s unexpected,’ Kina leaned back in her chair, laughing. ‘You’re sure?’

‘Completely,’ Kylo nodded. He would make Snoke regret ever messing with him.

‘Alright then,’ Kina smiled. ‘You do realise it’s all intelligence work? Got any experience with that? Besides today?’

‘Not a lot,’ he admitted. ‘But I’ll catch up. Is that going to be a problem?’

‘Not at all,’ she shook her head, still smiling. ‘We’ll walk you through it. You wouldn’t be the first.’

‘First of what?’ Kylo raised an eyebrow.

‘Nothing,’ she waved it off. ‘You’ll see.’

‘Okay,’ he shrugged. ‘Where do we go from here? We can’t just float around like this.’

‘Ever heard of Takodana?’ Kina asked.

‘That’s not what you meant with an independent base, right?’ Kylo made a face. He had heard plenty about the place. His mother had told him to stay away from it. ‘That place is a dump.’

‘It’s also neutral ground and no, that’s not the base, Duncy,’ Kina shook her head with a smile. ‘That’s where we meet up when we get separated on mission. Dad will go there. We’ll have to pick him up first.’

‘okay,’ Kylo turned on the navicomputer and selected a route. Unlike his mother, his father had made him memorise the coordinates when he was a kid. He had told him to go there whenever things got out of hand. The local leader, Maz Kanata, apparently had a policy against fighting. Not even the republic would make a move there.

‘The First Order usually doesn’t go there,’ Kina continued. ‘And if they do, there’s nothing they can do about it. Maz’ll have them out on their asses before they can even think about any funny business.’

‘Got it,’ he turned on the hyperdrive and let the autopilot take over, suppressing a yawn. His eyelids became heavy. Using the Force at all during their escape had taken it out of him. Far more than it should’ve and it was catching up to him. He leaned back in his chairs and dug his fingernails into the skin under his sleeve. He couldn’t afford to fall asleep. Snoke had a far greater influence on his dreams than he had let on. His last dream made it more than clear that Snoke was indeed able to twist his dreams beyond just speaking to him. Just how many times he had over the years was left to the imagination. Kylo’s imagination told him _every damn time, all the time._

‘What are you doing?’ Kina asked, reaching for his hands.

‘We’re in hyperspace. They can’t track us and the autopilot’s on,’ he said. ‘No need to hog the controls.’

‘I meant this,’ she pulled his hand away from his arm. ‘Like you said, nothing can happen here. You can sleep for a bit.’

‘No, I can’t,’ he hesitated. Maybe he should tell her. She had been right about one thing. They were dependent on each other and they should know what was up with the other. Still, it would just scare her off. The dreams Snoke had no doubt planted there had been enough for Luke to try end put an end to him.

‘Nightmares, uh?’ she laughed. ‘Who would’ve thought the big, bad Kylo Ren has nightmares.’

‘How do you know about that?’ he turned on his chair. No one knew, not even his parents had known. Only Luke.

‘You talk in your sleep,’ she shrugged. ‘You toss around a lot too. I had to dodge an arm back in the truck.’

‘Oh,’ he said. The tension left his body. He had no idea he did that, but it made sense. He leaned back in his chair and furrowed his brow. The images his mind had conjured whenever he slept had terrified even him, so he had kept it to himself. Always, even after he joined the First Order and started to suspect Snoke’s involvement behind them. ‘It’s not just that,’ he decided to just risk it. If he was going to stick around, he would have to explain himself eventually. Besides, she had seen most of the things he had been capable of and she hadn’t run away screaming as most had in the past. Running away screaming wouldn’t be her style, but she hadn’t shot him either, despite having plenty of opportunities and knowing who he was. Really, what else could he possibly do to scare her off? ‘Snoke infiltrates my mind whenever I sleep, makes me see whatever he wants me to.’

She whistled between her teeth, not at all intimidated. ‘No wonder you don’t want to sleep. If I saw Snoke every time I snoozed, I’d never even blink.’ Kylo chewed his lip, studying her for any signs of the fear and disgust that had always been there. If anything, he saw concern behind her nonchalance. ‘So what does he show you? Does he talk to you?’

‘Yeah, he started talking to me years ago,’ Kylo took a deep breath. ‘But I suspect he has been messing with my dreams long before that. Last time, in the truck, he began talking to me, but when I didn’t tell him what he wanted to hear, he made the dream merge into something else. An actual nightmare.’

‘That is messed up,’ Kina leaned back in her chair and bit her lip. ‘What was the nightmare about?’

Kylo hesitated. Snoke had told him to do it so many times. Never with many words, but the message was clear. _Kill your weakness, kill your father._ He had tried to stall as long as he could, but a part of him had already suggested it was inevitable. If he didn’t kill his father, Snoke would find a way to make him pay for it until he did. Pure hatred raged through his chest. That old creep would’ve done anything to make sure he would have nothing if he ever turned his back on the Order.

‘You can tell me,’ Kina urged. ‘I won’t tattle.’

‘He made me see how I killed my father,’ he shook his head. ‘he’s been telling me to do so for years. He might’ve actually gotten me to do it too.’ He shook his head. How could he have ever gotten in this deep? He had bloody well believed it would’ve been for the greater good.

‘Holy shit.’ Her eyes went wide. There it was. All the shock, fear and disgust. he should’ve known. No one could hear a thing like that and not believe they were talking to a monster. She jumped off her chair and paced around the cockpit. Kylo braced himself for what she was going to say next. ‘That’s it. You’re never going back there.’

He turned around in his chair to look at her. Her face betrayed no fear, disgust, or even shock. Concern was the only thing apparent. Knowing better than to take anything at face value, he sent a ripple through the Force. It went through the energy of her presence. It was steady, unshaken and deeply concerned. All about her was just as it appeared. ‘What part of telling Snoke to piss off and joining his enemies made you think I would?’ he managed.

‘Snoke has his way of getting under people’s skin. My brother told me so,’ she sat back down in front of him. ‘Brainwashing’s the Order’s specialty. Not all have the strength to withstand it, but promise me, you never will go back.’

‘Believe me, I won’t,’ Kylo said, still processing the turn of events.

‘Fear and pain is a hell of a thing,’ Kina bit her lip. ‘And they know how to exploit it. Snoke will come down on you with all he has and he has access to your mind. People would break under less.’

‘I know he is going to try,’ Kylo nodded. ‘I betrayed him. He’s not going to let that slide.’

‘You didn’t betray him,’ Kina said. ‘You owed him nothing. He burned you.’

‘He had his reasons,’ Kylo rolled his shoulders. The bandages had gotten moist. Plenty of blisters had popped, but it didn’t hurt too much. Now he thought about it, she had probably put an anesthetic on it while Grandfather was getting Snoke to back off.

‘No,’ she shook her head. ‘Nothing you could’ve done can justify that. When someone hurts you like that, that’s on them, not you.’ Kylo chewed his lip. Technically, he got her point. Snoke had done this for his own benefit. You can’t have your secret weapon have feelings and that was all he was to Snoke. He had denied the truth, told himself that Snoke’s lies were true, but he had always known. ‘You’re afraid,’ Kina’s eyes bored into him. ‘You should be. We have to do something. Is there any way to stop him?’

‘I’m not afraid,’ he countered. Snoke wasn’t going to break him. Not anymore.

‘You’re terrified,’ Kina stated, looking him straight into the eyes. ‘I can see it and you’re right to be. Is there anything we can do?’

‘No,’ Kylo shook his head. ‘I told him to get lost and he made me see _that._ Not even my grandfather could stop him that time.’

‘Your grandfather,’ Kina frowned. ‘I thought you were kidding when you said that. You don’t mean Darth Vader, do you?’

‘Actually, I do,’ Kylo chewed his lip. It would be quite a trick explaining that one. _Yeah, the ghost of my grandpa just showed up and told Snoke to get lost._ He wasn’t going to score any points there. ‘He helped me get away from Snoke. Without his help, I would’ve never made it.’

‘Some great influences you got there,’ she blew air out from between her teeth. ‘How does that even work? Does he also pop up in your dreams?’

‘He could,’ Kylo nodded. ‘But he mostly talks to me when I’m awake. I have to say, that’s a lot better.’

‘I can imagine,’ Kina said. ‘Not really, but alright. If helps you with your ‘Snoke’ problem, I’m fine with it. We might need a Darth Vader to go up against Snoke, but seriously, how does that work? He’s very much dead, the last I heard.’

‘He is,’ Kylo nodded. ‘But it’s a Force thing. I would’ve to get pretty deep into it to explain.’

‘Miss me with that,’ Kina sighed. ‘I’m going to write that up as “It’s magic”. And what about your uncle? Luke Skywalker? He should be able to do something.’

‘No one knows where he is,’ Kylo deflected the suggestion. He’d prefer if Luke stayed as far away as possible.

‘Poe’s droid’s supposed to have a map to find him,’ Kina said. ‘Someone should tell Poe that isn’t a secret anymore, but that should be a good start.

‘He knows about it,’ Kylo stopped her. It wasn’t clear just how much Luke knew, but that didn’t matter. ‘He tried to kill me when he found out. He already feared what I could do. That was the last straw for him.’

‘Lovely,’ Kina dropped her shoulder and made a face. ‘So, any other ideas?’

‘No,’ Kylo said. ‘I’ll just have to deal.’ Kina bit her lip and frowned in concentration, then she shook her head. ‘I’ll be fine,’ he assured her. ‘There’s nothing you can do.’ She looked up, once again looking him straight in the eyes.

‘Brynda,’ she said.

‘Excuse me,’ Kylo blinked. What was that supposed to mean?

‘If I know your real name, you should know mine,’ she grinned. ‘Brynda.’

‘Of course,’ he leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. She’d given them a fake name. It wasn’t even surprising.

‘Can you promise me one more thing?’ she put her hand on his wrist. ‘If it ever gets too bad, with Snoke rummaging around under your brainpan, you’ll tell me.’

‘I will,’ he promised. She’d done nothing but help him so far, even risking herself while doing so. If anything came up, she deserved to know.

‘Good,’ she nodded. ‘I’ll be checking the rest of this rust bucket. Maybe they have something useful stashed away. You take it easy.’ She got up and walked from the cockpit. Kylo checked the navicomputer. It would still be a good bit before they reached Takodana. He took a deep breath and pressed his eyes closed. They had escaped Jakku, but the real fight was just beginning.

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in an open field. The grass underneath his feet was unnaturally green and the sky above his head was surrealistically bright.

‘You’re making the right choice,’ Grandfather spoke, appearing at his side. ‘Turning your back on Snoke took bravery and you were strong to have done it.’

‘He won’t give up,’ Ben said. ‘You were right. He’s trying to break me. He will keep trying.’

‘Let him try,’ Grandfather said. ‘You’re much stronger than he gives you credit for. Underestimating you is a mistake. It might very well be his last.’

‘I can’t win this,’ Ben argued. ‘He’ll tear me apart if that is what it takes. I don’t stand a chance.’

‘Perhaps not on you own, but you’re not alone,’ Grandfather smiled encouragingly. ‘Go and find your mother. Even if you don’t believe it, she will help you.’

‘No,’ Ben shook his head. ‘She won’t trust me, not after everything that happened.’

‘You underestimate a mother’s love,’ Grandfather raised a hand when he opened his mouth to speak. ‘But that’s a concern for another time. Now, you must rest. I’ll try to keep Snoke from invading your mind while you do.’ The green under his feet and the blue above him shifted away, making place for the rocky ground and cloudy skies from an old dream. One he had last had sleeping in Mom’s lap, before she sent him away. The memory of the girl that had always been waiting for him there had nearly faded away, but now she was as clear as she had always been, reaching out her hand as she always had.

‘Come with me,’ she smiled. ‘I’ll show you how to get away from him. It’s just a few steps.’ He reached for her. In the beginning, she had always driven the darkness away with her light and driven the terrors away, but it hadn’t lasted. The darkness had grown and grown, drowning out her light more every time. Whenever he reached for her the shadows came with him, making her vanish. The darkness engulfed him whenever she left. Something sharp would dig into his mind. One time she had left, never to come back. His only relief from the terrors was gone.

Now, she was just there like she had never left. Their hands touched and pure, white light filled his vision. Calm washed over him. She had come back for him. She had always been looking for him whenever she dreamt. She had missed him.

The blinding light washed away, leaving only her. She was older now, not a child anymore. Her face more defined, hardened. She frowned at him and turned away, blocking out his presence. Her face blurred while she turned away from him. It wasn’t an act of rejection, just confusion. She didn’t know what was happening and she was shaken. Her mind raging with heartbreak and worry. He reached out through the Force, trying to ease her pain. She pushed him away. She was denying the power that surged through her. It scared her. While her presence distances itself from him, another warm, but distant presence emerged. _Dad._

He turned to find him. His surroundings flashed by him, but it was undeniable. This was the Falcon. Dad was in the cockpit, where he had always been. He was crying. Why was he crying? He reached out but the dreams dissolved at his touch.


	15. Calm before the storm

‘Oh, you’re awake,’ Brynda said while leaning over the control panel. She had dumped the disguise and was wearing her own clothes again. ‘You weren’t trashing about or muttering or anything like that, so I thought it’d be fine.’

‘It was,’ Ben yawned and rubbed the last of the sleep from his eyes. They were still on hyperspace, but not for much longer. The navicomputer indicated fifteen minutes left. ‘No nightmares this time, just…’ He stopped and chewed his lip. His dream had seemed so real, but they always did. Sometimes those strong with the Force saw premonitions while sleeping or meditating. Sometimes symbolistic, sometimes literal. What could it have meant? Who was that girl?

‘Your grandfather again?’ Brynda looked up. ‘I get he’s helping you, but I have to ask. Is he going to be a problem? They say he turned on the empire, but what side is he on now? If there’s any chance he’s going to magically choke me over political differences, I’d like to know.’

‘He just told me I did a good job turning against Snoke,’ Ben furrowed his brow, trying to remember the first part of the dream. ‘So I guess he’s on the side of the resistance in this. Also, he told me to go to my mother.’

‘At least he gives good advice,’ Brynda leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. ‘You’re sure you aren’t going to go to your mother after all? I can drop you right off? Well, not directly, I don’t know where the base is, but I can send another message.’

‘What was in the first?’ Ben asked. ‘It’s better if they don’t know where I am.’

‘I’ll take that as a no,’ Brynda threw him a sideways, slightly disapproving glance. ‘I sent word that you defected and were on the run. I sent no coordinates. We never do that when one of our agents is still in the area. Like I said, we support your mother’s cause, but we do not report to her.’

‘Even if you had needed reinforcements?’ Ben asked. ‘I mean, you could’ve used the help. You had me in the back of your truck.’

‘My network is quite proud of their independence,’ Brynda chuckled. ‘If we had needed reinforcements, we would’ve called some of our own.’

‘Why didn’t you?’ Ben asked. ‘Pick-up would’ve been more convenient than walking into a First Order base.’

‘We had it under control,’ Brynda shrugged. ‘Everything went according to plan until the last minute. The entire network depends on staying under the radar, which you’re going to have to work on, Duncy.’

‘You just shot that Gessa Ganmate guy,’ Ben reminded her. ‘How’s that staying under the radar?’

‘You’ll see,’ Brynda threw her head back in laughter. Once again, the humour evaded him. ‘You might want to know Poe escaped in one piece. He is probably on his way to the resistance.’ She frowned for a second. ‘Guess your mom’s going to find out about the details of your little trip after all.’

‘Can’t be helped,’ Ben sighed. No one could keep Poe from talking. ‘So, what exactly are we going to do on Takodana? Wait for your father, then go to your base?’

‘Yup,’ Brynda tapped the screen of the navicomputer. ‘Also, we’re going to dump this ship over there. It’s too obvious. Also, I want to try and gauge what people know. Maz’s patrons are from all over the galaxy and they just love to gossip.’

‘How are you going to do that? You just ask them what they know?’ Ben frowned.

‘There’s a little more to it, but yeah. I mostly just ask them,’ Brynda admitted.

‘Is this spy-thing really that easy?’ Ben asked. ‘You just do things and hope no one notices?’ Transporting fugitives, climbing a fence, infiltrating an airbase. If not for their change of plans, it would’ve all been like a walk in the park, or the desert.

‘I’ll show you what I mean with ‘there’s more to it’ when we reach Takodana,’ Brynda sighed and shook her head. ‘But first, go take a shower. You’re filthy and for some reason, there’s a shower on this rustbucket.’ Now she mentioned it, she seemed to be a lot less dusty than before. Not much though.

‘They’re a requirement on all ships,’ Ben pulled his nose up. ‘Have you ever tried to keep an entire army in one place? It smells.’

‘You’re the one smelling now,’ she threw him a smirk. ‘Third room, the corridor on the left. Now move it.’ He threw up his hands and took the hint. So possibly, more sand fell out while he got up to find the showers. Jakku would be haunting him for a while.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘So, uh, Solo?’ Finn tried again while they were already approaching the castle. Better late than never. ‘Why are we here again?’

‘Getting us a clean ship,’ Solo said without looking back.

‘Clean ship?’ Rey echoed Finn’s thoughts. Sure, the Falcon good use a scrub, maybe two or three, but it wasn’t that bad and they needed to get to the resistance as soon as physically possible. It was about the only place the Order hadn’t infested.

‘Chewie and I didn’t find the Falcon by chance. If we can find it on our sensors, the Order isn’t far behind,’ Solo explained a bit on the late side. ‘Maz Kanata is our best bet at getting to the resistance.’ Finn looked up at the castle. The architecture was ancient. It was a surprise it was still standing.

‘We can trust her, right?’ Finn asked. One can never be too sure. The First Order had spies everywhere and they might be running straight at them.

‘Don’t worry,’ Solo said. ‘She has been running this watering hole for a thousand years. Just let me do the talking and don’t stare.’ The thousand-year part sounded about right, but what was up with the ‘not staring’ part? Did Kanata look her age?

‘At what?’ he asked at the same time Rey did.

‘Any of it,’ Solo said while jumping up some stairs leading to the entrance, so possibly getting vaguer. Communication, people. Try it.

BB-8 bumped against the first step, barely getting over it. Finn and Rey tried to help him up, but the little guy was just too heavy. As soon as they all got to the top, the doors slid open, revealing a stew of all kinds of beings and droids. The stench was nearly unbearable. The music wasn’t any better.

‘Han Solo,’ a small orange woman bellowed, breaking loose from the crowd and coming their way. Every single head in this place turned in their direction. If there were any spies in here, they were now running to the Order to rat them out. Thanks, Solo.

‘Hey, Maz,’ Solo waved with a poorly faked smile. This orange lady was the person they were going to for help? She looked like she’d blew away if you breathed too hard in her direction. Then again, anyone who could make Solo uncomfortable must have something going for them.

Kanata made her way towards them, adjusting her goggles while staring Solo down. Solo, in the meantime, looked around as if looking for an escape route.

‘Where’s my boyfriend?’ Maz asked when she reached.

‘Chewie’s working on the Falcon,’ Han said. Finn didn’t bother asking about the relationship there. He didn’t want to know. Rey seemed to share the sentiment.

‘I like that Wookie,’ Kanata said with a straight face. ‘I assume you need something. Desperately. Let’s get to it.’ she turned around and gestured for them to follow.

 

* * *

 

 

Ben was just done shaking the last of the sand out of his boots when the ship stirred. He had washed enough sand down the drain to clog the pipes, but that was not his problem. They were dumping this rust bucket.

He threw the tarp around his neck. The thing was a pain, but he couldn’t go around showing his face anymore. Too many people would recognise it by now. Waving around a light saber in front of a bunch of troopers, twice, would do that for you.

He walked back to the cockpit and dropped in the free chair. Brynda was already positioning the ship for landing. He crossed his arms and looked. She seemed to have it down. Piloting skills could go on the list from things she had been hiding.

‘Good thing Maz has banned politics,’ Brynda said. ‘We’d have First Order lackeys all over us in any other place. This ship screams ‘stolen’. I’m still going to land it all the way over there though. It’s no one’s business anyway.’

‘The official term is ‘commandeering’,’ Ben pointed out. She glanced at him for a second and elected to ignore it.

‘Anyway, I want to get some things clear here first,’ she said instead. ‘How many people know your face?’

‘You mean before today?’ he raised an eyebrow.

‘I mean besides the entirety of Jakku,’ she countered, rolling her eyes at him.

‘Let’s see,’ he chewed on his lips. ‘Snoke, Hux, some of the higher up officers, people who I passed in the corridors when I didn’t have my mask on, people who knew me as a child would also-.’

‘I’m going to stop you right there,’ she held up a hand. ‘Just put that thing back on your face.’

‘Sure,’ Ben sighed, having figured as much, and took the ends of the tarp. How did they go again?

‘Come here, Duncy,’ Brynda pulled the tarp from his hands and did her thing. He checked it when she was done. Somehow, there was still sand in the damn thing.

‘Stop calling me that,’ he tried, fully expecting the request to be denied.

‘Nope,’ she indeed denied it. ‘Which brings me to the second point. I can’t call you Ben or Kylo when anyone else is listening. So I am just going to call you that.’

‘Please don’t,’ Ben took a deep breath.

‘Oh? What else should I call you?’ she mockingly raised an eyebrow. ‘Mister Fancy hair? Like seriously, how did you even do that? I couldn’t even see what colour it was a few minutes ago.’

‘Water and soap,’ he countered. ‘You should try it sometime.’

‘Hilarious,’ she said dryly. ‘I’ll get to the last point. We want to stay under the radar, for real this time. So don’t do anything dramatic. Better yet, don’t do anything at all. No talking, no magic tricks, and no light sticks either, please.’

‘I never do anything dramatic,’ Ben protested. ‘Also, it’s a light saber.’

‘I don’t care what it is called,’ Brynda said. ‘Also, everything you did so far was dramatic. Just keep it down as long as we're in there.’

‘Yes, Ma’am,’ Ben crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair.

‘Good,’ she reiterated while the ship touched down with a loud thud. That landing was rather shoddy. ‘We’re there.’

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘How is your shoulder?’ Hux asked his adjutant while on their way to report to Snoke. He began to doubt his decision to bring the man. His recent carelessness was becoming a problem, but Palloyu had taken a large portion of processing incoming intel of his hands and thus his presence was required ‘I do believe you have not been cleared for duty yet.’

‘Not for the battlefield, no,’ Captain Palloyu answered, looking down at his datapad. ‘But administrative task should be no problem, General. The medical team has done its work quite well. Besides, these are challenging times. I feel obligated to assist.’

‘Challenging times, indeed,’ Hux agreed as they turned into the corridor housing the conference room.

‘How long until the weapon will fire, Sir?’ Palloya inquired. ‘Quite a feat of engineering. I regret not having heard of it sooner. The technology behind it is of quite some interest. Is there anything you could tell me about it?’

‘The operation is classified,’ Hux rebuffed him. ‘Unless you are directly involved, your interest is not appreciated. But if you must know, the weapon will fire during the rally later today.’

‘From what distance?’ Palloyu asked. ‘I’m sure its reach will be as impressive as the rest of it. You never do disappoint.’

‘You would do well to follow that example,’ Hux said, pressing the button to open the door. ‘I hope you are well prepared. Supreme leader will have no time to waste.’

‘Yes, Sir,’ Palloyu put the datapad away and straightened himself. Hux threw him a quick glance. At first, he had seemed full of potential. His adherence to the principles of the First Order and swiftness in carrying out each order, both the important and banal, accurately and without fail along with his rather large physique, had caused him to bring countless missions to a successful end. Even he himself had seen some merit in the man. But as of late, now his position seemed secure, Palloyu had become lax. Not only had the delay caused by his injury allowed a group of insurgents to escape, but his personal codes had also somehow ended up in Ren’s hands as well. His failures were beginning to reflect badly on Hux.

‘Welcome, General, Captain,’ Maura Ren, one of the two knights that had answered his calls, came to meet them halfway. For some reason, this one wore a veil instead of a mask. It wouldn’t even serve a purpose in battle. What were the knights getting at with their incomprehensible habit of hiding their faces? ‘We were about to start without you.’

‘Apologies, My lady,’ Palluyo made a show of bowing before her and kissing her gloved hand. ‘Keeping you waiting was not the intention. It is good to finally see you again.’ The knight seemed to find it all rather amusing. Snoke watched on in interest, looming over them from his throne, a hologram as usual.

‘We shall not delay you any longer,’ Hux marched past them and went to face Snoke. ‘We must move swiftly if we are to succeed.’

‘Very well,’ Snoke said. ‘Begin your report.’ Palloyu stepped forward and opened his mouth to speak. Snoke stopped him with a gesture. ‘I do not believe we’ve met in person before.’

‘Supreme leader, I’m Nodha Palloyu, Captain of the 21st battalion, at your service,’ Palloyu saluted. The corners of his mouth twitched as always when he introduced himself. It was one of his stranger habits. ‘I’ll get right to the reports. We’ve ascertained that Han Solo is indeed on the planet known as Takodana, along with the droid and the individuals that aided in its escape. However, the location of Kylo Ren is yet unknown. It seems he has left Jakku’s atmosphere while already in hyperspace. This has made tracking him impossible.’ That mere feat was considered impossible, but Hux didn’t put it above Ren to try. With any luck, Ren had saved them all the trouble and had blown himself up along with the ship he had stolen.

‘Shyam is already preparing the troops for an attack,’ the knight interrupted. ‘We will strike as soon as given the order, Supreme leader.’

‘You may proceed,’ Snoke said. ‘But I trust both of you know the importance of capturing Han Solo. We cannot allow him to corrupt your master any further.’

‘I understand the situation, Supreme leader,’ the knight bowed her head. ‘I understand the influence that smuggler scum can have on Kylo and I shall not allow it.’

‘Good,’ Snoke nodded in satisfaction. The intention behind the façade went over Hux’s head. Everyone in this room knew capturing Solo only served to get Ren to come out of hiding. ‘Tell me, Captain Palloyu. Has there been any word from the other knights?’

‘Lord Kiar and Lady Tamas sent their regrets,’ Palloyu reported. ‘Their current mission was of too much urgency to abandon.’

‘I can send a second transmission stating their presence is not optional,’ Hux suggested. It seemed to be all a rather poor excuse to refuse direct orders. Although it had more grace than the actions of the two knights still unaccounted for. They had ignored the call altogether while there was little chance they hadn’t received the message. It had reached the others without issue. There was, of course, no way to be sure and the knights must’ve known that.

‘No,’ Snoke held up a hand. ‘I know of their mission. It may very well be of the urgency they claim it to be.

‘As you wish,’ Hux bowed his head, although he didn’t see how hunting ancient relics could be more urgent than stopping Ren from wreaking havoc upon their troops. The knights' refusal to comply would become a problem soon enough. ‘But if I may address the point. I do not believe the knights will be impartial when it comes to their master. I request to oversee their attempts at retrieving him.’

‘That will not be necessary,’ Snoke frowned. ‘They understand the importance of retrieving Ren quickly and making him see the error in his ways. Isn’t that so, Maura?’

‘Of course, Supreme leader,’ the knight kneeled and bowed her head. ‘But I must bring up a point of doubt. Given my own past, I can’t help but feel a sense of unease. Forgive me for asking, but are the chains truly necessary?’ Hux stared at her in disbelief. She felt unease at chaining a traitor and deserter? She was all but proving his point.

‘I fear they are, but I assure you, dear child,’ Snoke’s expression softened. Why was he even humouring this girl? ‘This has nothing in common with the chains they put on you. None of you are my slaves. The chains are necessary to bring your master back to us and resolve this unfortunate situation.’ Hux listened closely. This conversation might yet turn interesting. Had this girl been a slave before she became a knight?

‘I understand, Supreme leader,’ the knight looked up. ‘But I believe this is not as serious as it may appear. Knowing Kylo, he acted impulsively and out of petulance. Inexcusable all the same, but perhaps forgivable.’

‘Yes, I fear I may have been too harsh about his lapse in conviction,’ Snoke shook his head. ‘But I had to prevent him from meeting the same fate as his grandfather. I feared his attachment to his parents may have been the death of him.’

‘I believe so as well. Organa and Solo have long ago turned on him, but he refuses to believe it against all common sense,’ Maura said. ‘You were right to do as you did, Supreme leader. Kylo will come to understand. He has always been rash and prone to overreacting, but loyal nonetheless.’

‘I know, my child,’ Snoke smiled at her. ‘Shyam has already spoken to me and convinced me of that much. Now, go and prepare the strike.’ Hux had to stop himself from shaking his head in disapproval. The freedom Snoke gave the knights had always been questionable, but now they were talking about letting a traitor and deserter off the hook on the grounds that his motives may not have been that bad. They might as well send FN-2187 an invitation to talk it all out.

‘As you wish,’ the knight stood up and turned to leave, but stopped when she passed Palloyu and held out her hand. ‘Would you walk with me, Captain? I’d like to discuss some points of strategy.’

‘If my presence is no longer required, it would be my honour,’ Palloyu bowed his head at her before turning to address Snoke. ‘By your leave, Supreme leader.’

‘Go,’ Snoke waved the two off. ‘I have a few details to review with the General.’ Palloyu took the knight’s hand and together, they walked out. Hux had to keep himself from retching. It would’ve been of ill taste in front of the supreme leader.

‘I can sense you have something on your mind, General,’ Snoke watched as the odd couple left the room. ‘Do speak up so I might ease your concern.’

‘All due respect,’ Hux took a deep breath. ‘We cannot allow Ren to rejoin our ranks after the crimes he has committed. We have evidence he passed vital information unto the enemy. Had it not been discovered, the weapon might have failed. We cannot let this go unpunished. By all means, he must be executed or more will follow his lead.’

‘I would agree, but I need Ren alive,’ Snoke leaned back in his chair. ‘As you might have just noticed, the knights’ loyalty lies with their master before it lies with the Order. If they feel he is treated unfairly, they will turn against me.’

‘I see,’ Hux considered, taking in the new information. The charade made sense now. That girl truly believed Ren would face no consequences for his crimes. ‘We’ll have to tread carefully then. Perhaps it is best to have Ren meet an unfortunate fate at the hands of our enemies. Their anger will be aimed at the republic and the resistance instead.’ Evidence was easily faked. Staging a brutal murder would be little trouble.

‘You seem to have grasped the situation quite quickly, General,’ a twisted smile appeared on Snoke’s face. ‘But no. Having Ren turn back to our cause would be more to our advantage. There is a reason I’ve trained him so far. He will have to be the one to face Skywalker. He is the only one who could.’

‘Surely, six knights are enough to take down one man,’ Hux argued. ‘What could Ren do on his own that they could not?’

‘No one can stop Skywalker in a straightforward confrontation,’ Snoke shook his head. ‘Regardless of number or skill. He will defeat any opponent, but Ren has always had one advantage over him. Skywalker cares for him. He will refuse to raise arms against his nephew. Like his father before him, Skywalker’s sentimentality will be his undoing. The only reason I took Ren as my apprentice was because he is a valuable hostage.’

‘A wise decision, no doubt,’ Hux said. ‘But I have been wondering about one thing. Why was Ren so adamant in finding Skywalker? Had he not intended to double-cross you from the beginning, Supreme leader?’

‘Good questions, General,’ Snoke laughed. ‘But no. Ren fears Skywalker to the deepest of his being. I made sure of it. It was quite easy. I just showed Skywalker what he already suspected to find and he simply drove Ren to my side. Turning him further against his despicable family was mere child’s play.’

‘I understand the reasoning,’ Hux nodded. ‘But we are close to retrieving the map. If we destroy it, we would not need Ren. Disposing of him might still be the most secure course of action.’

‘Don’t be so hasty, General,’ Snoke held up a hand. ‘Destroying the map does nothing to ensure Skywalker will not return on his own volition. Besides, Ren is not just a hostage against Skywalker, but against his parents as well. If nothing else, we can use him against Organa. I doubt she would still oppose me when her son’s life hangs in the balance.’

‘I see,’ Hux considered once more. Snoke had plenty of reasons to want Ren returned alive. He was a useful pawn. Nonetheless, a major objection remained. ‘Still, we cannot allow Ren’s crimes to go unpunished. It would be seen as a sign of weakness. A display of strength is necessary.’

‘You’re right,’ Snoke nodded in approval. ‘A trial should appease the knights. I will leave the preparations to you, but remember, it must appear fair lest they rebel.’

‘A trial?’ Hux blinked but recovered himself. ‘May I ask what exactly you have in mind?’

‘The sentence will be to have Ren reconditioned, under my supervision, of course,’ Snoke sneered. ‘It will seem merciful compared to execution and it will contradict nothing I’ve told the knights, but be sure the actual trial will send the right message. Preferably by the use of the necessary force. We don’t want any doubt about what happens to traitors. Have the reconditioning start during the trial if so necessary.’

‘As you wish,’ Hux bowed his head, very well aware execution might have been the merciful option. ‘Reconditioning’ had always been more of a euphemism to ease the minds of the more squeamish officers. ‘But I fear the knights will protest it all the same.’

‘Leave that to me,’ Snoke said. ‘They are easily manipulated. Convincing them of the necessity of it will be rather easy, but do keep it quiet for now.’

‘I shall start preparations immediately,’ Hux turned to leave. There were plenty of details to be considered.

‘One more thing, General,’ Snoke stopped him. ‘I want no permanent damage. Ren’s power will be of more benefit to us if left intact.’

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘So, remember, no drama, no shiny sticks,’ Brynda reminded him once more while they entered the courtyard. ‘And most importantly, no blabbing. Just stand there and shut your yapper.’

‘Ay-ay, Captain,’ Ben joked, looking around the place. The bricks making up the walls were eroded and worn by time. He had to suppress the urge to kick it to see if the entire castle would collapse.

‘As long as you get it,’ Brynda narrowed her eyes. ‘Ever met Maz?’

‘I’ve heard of her,’ Ben said. ‘Never met her though.’

‘Small, loud, orange,’ Brynda listed while hopping up the stairs to the entrance. ‘And will see right through you. Stay out of her way.’

‘Yeah, got it,’ Ben followed her unto the stairs. ‘Can we go in now?’

‘Watch and learn,’ she opened the doors and they went in. Music fit for torture banged through the room inside. The countless patrons inside were either deaf or too drunk to mind. They were all happily going around their questionable business. Not that he was one to judge. He had come here to learn how to spy on people.

‘See that droid over there?’ Brynda nodded at the distance. A droid was standing in a corner at the far end of the room. ‘He’s a snitch. I’m going to feed him some crap. How do you feel about living in the wreck of a destroyed cruiser?’

‘That should keep Hux busy,’ Ben nodded. He was beginning to like his new job. Brynda ran off, said something to the droid and came running back. ‘Seems easy enough. Are you sure I can’t try anything? I’ve got an idea.’ Hux had better bring his swimming gear because he was going to have to check every ocean in the system.

‘How did you know that droid was a snitch?’ she cocked her head.

‘Because you told me,’ Ben reminded her, frowning.

‘How did I know?’ she cocked her head a little more.

‘Someone told you?’ he tried.

‘I paid attention and asked the right people,’ she said, urging him to follow her. ‘It only looks easy because you can’t see the preparations that had to be made. You will have to think of everything. If you start saying the wrong things to the wrong people, you’ll blow your cover in a minute. This only worked because that droid’s dumb and desperate for a come-up.’

‘How do you recognise the wrong people?’ Ben looked around, checking the patrons as they walked. They all looked rather dumb and desperate.

‘I’ll give you an easy example,’ Brynda looked him in the eye. She didn’t say it out loud this time, but her expression spelled ‘Duncy’. ‘Had you tried something like that with Maz, your father would be here to pick you up in a minute.’

‘My father?’ Ben blinked.

‘Maz loves messing with Solo,’ Brynda shook her head and chuckled. ‘It’s a spectacle every time, but yeah, she’d tell him right away if you popped up here.’

‘Do you know my father?’ Ben asked.

‘I saw him a few times in here, laughed at him the same amount of times,’ Brynda shrugged. ‘Would you go with him if we know where he is? Because that can be arranged.’

‘No,’ Ben shook his head. ‘I’d rather not.’

‘Why’ she asked. ‘What would he kick you out for? He ain’t one for politics.’

‘He never needed a reason,’ Ben chewed his lip. ‘I don’t think he ever wanted to have a child, especially not one like me.’

‘Like you?’ Brynda frowned. ‘What the hell does that mean?’

‘Strong with the Force,’ he said in a low voice, glancing around for anyone listening in on them. ‘It terrified him and he just got away whenever he could. Sent me to Luke when he couldn’t deal with it anymore. It won’t be any different this time.’

‘You know your family sucks when Darth Vader’s the supportive one,’ Brynda shook her head. ‘I knew Solo was a scammer, but I didn’t take him for someone who would dump their kid like that.’

‘Do you have any idea whether he still comes around here?’ Ben checked the tarp.

‘I don’t think so,’ Brynda said. ‘He’s gotten himself in a mess again. I doubt he’ll have time to drop by, but if he does, you can be sure Maz will announce his presence to anyone in here. She does that every time.’ She chuckled some more. He couldn’t help a grin himself. It must’ve indeed been a spectacle to behold.

‘Good to know,’ Ben took a deep breath. ‘What’s next?’

‘This way. You should really start taking notes of this one,’ she took him by the sleeve and led him away. ‘It requires politeness. You don’t have any of that. So again, keep your mouth shut and listen.’

‘As you wish, my lady,’ he countered. She ignored him and pulled him towards a table at the wall. Three individuals, all hiding their appearances to varying degrees, sat around it and were sipping their drinks.

‘Back already?’ a man wearing a hood asked when Brynda dropped herself into the nearest chair without as much as a greeting. Her idea of manners was terrible.

‘As you can see,’ she gestured for Ben to sit down. He mumbled a greeting and took the last free chair.

‘Made a friend?’ a woman with tinted goggles and a scarf covering her lower face asked while running a hand down his arm. He moved it out of her reach.

‘Don’t tease him,’ Brynda laughed at him. ‘He’s sensitive.’ The other three burst out in laughter as well. If it wasn’t for the fact he took her warning seriously, he would’ve had some things to add to this exchange.

‘Adorable,’ the goggle-woman said. ‘Where did you find him?’

‘Along the way,’ Brynda snickered. ‘But never mind that, how are things going? Kaitor, how’s your sister?’

‘Terrible,’ the third one, a veiled man said. ‘The First Order’s going crazy. Took over her workplace. Thrashed half our home planet looking for some droid and a bunch of deserters. They didn’t even find anything.’ Now, this was going somewhere. That’s why she’d chosen this table. Unless the Order had a similar predicament elsewhere, this man was from Jakku.

‘Horrible business,’ Brynda shook her head. ‘She was a technician, right? On an airfield?’

‘Yeah,’ Kaitor nodded. ‘Those sniffers just came in and chased everyone out. That’s not even the worst of it. Those deserters thrashed half of Niima outpost. One of them was throwing boulders somehow.’

‘I heard that was Kylo Ren,’ the goggle-woman said behind her hand. ‘He threw those boulders with the Jedi power. They said he took the droid and escaped. They also say he had an affair with the mother of that Hux fellow.’ Ben bit his lip to stop himself from snickering. It seemed he had been busy. Throwing boulders did sound fun. He noted it down for later use.

‘that’s quite a tale,’ Brynda batted her eyelids as if she hadn’t created said tale and spread it.

‘Would explain how that droid ended up here,’ the hooded man pointed at the distance. ‘Maz is up to something again. No politics, my backside.’ Ben turned to see. An orange and white BB-unit was rolling around a chair. Poe’s droid and he wasn’t alone.

Poe’s stormtrooper, FN-2187 or Finn as he wanted to be called now, was sitting on the chair, looking at the droid and apparently not being dead. Poe would be delighted. Brynda could pull out one of her gadgets and someone would show up to pick up Finn and the droid, map and all. Problem solved. If Luke ever felt like showing up and stabbing Snoke, he wouldn’t get in the way.

‘That old rebellion general is nothing but trouble,’ the goggle-woman shook her head. ‘Bringing that thing in here. He might as well have sent the Order an invitation.’ Ben froze, slowly moving his head to look at the man sitting next to Finn. How had he not noticed this before? The man sat with his back turned, but his presence was painfully familiar and, now he knew, impossible to ignore. He moved to leave, but Brynda pinned his arm down on the table.

‘Stay here you all,’ she smiled while getting up. ‘I’ve got some talking to do with that guy. He almost scammed my dad last time.’

‘Sounds about right,’ Kaitor laughed. ‘Good luck. He’s a piece of work, that geezer.’ Ben followed Brynda with his eyes while she pushed past some people on her way to the table. The man turned around when she reached. Ben’s breath caught in his throat. He looked decades older now, but it was undeniably him.

_Dad._

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hardly anything was said about the Knights of Ren in the movies or elsewhere, so I improvised.


	16. An east wind

Maz sat them all down at a table in the back corner. As usual, the place was a raging mess. It was why he had always liked the place despite Maz’s terrible taste in music.

‘Why are you here, Han?’ Maz asked while throwing some stuff onto plates and putting it down in front of them. It would be better not to touch any of that, just to be on the safe side.

‘The droid has a map to Luke,’ Han nodded towards the happy ball rolling circles around and under the table.

‘Right back in the mess, aren’t you,’ Maz grinned and shook her head.

‘He needs to get to Leia,’ Han continued. ‘I need you to-.’

‘No,’ Maz cut him off. ‘You can do it yourself. Go home.’

‘I was planning on doing that,’ Han took a deep breath. Maz was always sticking her nose were it didn’t belong. She meant well, but right now, he just couldn’t have it. ‘I just need transport that can’t be tracked and I need you to tell me all you know that can help me take down Snoke.’ Maz leaned forwards in her chair and did that thing where she stared you down and told you what you were thinking. It was usually spot on too.

‘I see revenge in your eyes,’ she concluded before adding with a sigh. ‘And mourning. I’ve heard some things lately, but why don’t you tell me? What happened to your son?’

‘He died,’ Han bit his lip and swallowed the lump forming in his throat. Of course, she would’ve picked up something. People talked like crazy in here. ‘Are you going to help me or not?’

‘No,’ Maz said decidedly. ‘I’ll get you home but that’s it. I’m not going to help you throw your life away.’

‘That’s my decision to make,’ Han argued. ‘And I know what I’m doing.’ That was not entirely true, but Leia would know what he should be doing.

‘You know,’ Big Deal chimed in. He and Rey had just been sitting there up until then, awkwardly watching the conversation. ‘I agree with her. You should go home and take the time to think it all over.’

‘Listen, Han,’ Maz continued, giving him a sympathetic look. ‘Revenge won’t bring your son back or will it undo all that has been done. We all have to face this fight one day, but not like this. You would be no better than them.’

‘Yes, he is,’ Rey interrupted with indignation. ‘They hurt his son. Is he supposed to just let that go? What fight are you even talking about?’

‘The only fight; against the dark side,’ Maz went back to her old speech. For someone who had banned politics, she was rather opinionated. ‘Revenge is one of the many ways it takes hold of people’s hearts and I cannot endorse it. You see, I’ve been around long enough to see evil take many forms. The Sith. The Empire. Today it’s the First Order. Their shadow is spreading across the galaxy. We must not lower ourselves to their standards if we are to face them and face them we must. Fight them. All of us.’

‘When will people get it?’ Big Deal threw his head back in frustration. ‘There’s no fighting the First Order. Not a fight we can win. I bet you they’re on their way here right now. There’s no way we haven’t been recognised yet.’ Han couldn’t even blame him for his tirade. If the First Order was as nice to their soldiers as they were to the rest of the galaxy, the kid must’ve seen something. ‘What are you doing?’ Finn asked in a much lower volume, staring ahead with wide eyes. It seems he was going to see some more, because Maz had climbed unto the table and was knocking aside everything in her path to get to Finn, adjusting her goggles all the while. Han had always suspected those things were just for show. Finn backed away, trying to disappear into his chair. ‘Solo? What is she doing?’

‘Don’t know, but it ain’t good,’ Han leaned back and enjoyed the show.

‘Am I interrupting anything?’ a new voice asked. Han turned to see a woman with a cowl over her head standing behind him. He grabbed his blaster. Finn had made a good point there. Everyone here knew who they were, thanks to Maz. She should really stop shouting his name every time he came in here.

‘Put that that away, Han,’ Maz waved without breaking eye contact with Finn, who was sweating droplets by now. He put the blaster back on his belt but didn’t take his hand off it. Maz shoved her goggles off her face. ‘If you live long enough you see the same eyes in different people.’

‘Ah, she’s doing it again,’ the woman with the cowl remarked. She must be a regular around here.

‘I’m looking at the eyes of a man who wants to run,’ Maz finished and climbed back into her chair.

‘You don’t know the first thing about me,’ Finn snapped and jumped off his chair. ‘You don’t know the First Order like I do. They’ll slaughter us all. We all need to run.’ Rey’s mouth fell wide open when he was done. She really did seem to believe everything he had told her.

Maz didn’t seem as impressed. ‘You see those two over there?’ she asked. ‘They’ll trade work for transportation to the Outer Rim. There you can disappear.’ Finn’s shoulders dropped and he looked at the floor. A few seconds later, he nodded and turned to walk away. Too bad, but that was his choice to make.

‘Finn,’ Rey yelled as she jumped up to stop him.

‘Come with me,’ Finn offered. He still had a thing or two to learn about women. They didn’t run away from there problems. They’d shoot down their problems. Leia did, at least.

‘What about BB-8?’ Rey demanded. ‘We’re not done yet. We have to get back to your base.’ Han wasn’t looking forward to telling her the truth, but if Big Deal didn’t do it now, he would have to later.

‘I can’t,’ Finn shook his head. The woman with the cowl was looking on with a little too much interest. Han considered telling her to get lost, but Finn moved to hand back the blaster he had given him before he could open his mouth.

‘Keep it,’ Han said. The kid was going to need it if he honestly thought the First Order was just going to leave him alone. He looked back one more time before walking away, leaving Rey to stare after him. It took her three seconds to run after him, BB-8 right behind her.

‘Who was that girl?’ Maz asked when Rey disappeared into the crowd, fidgeting with her goggles again. Just his luck. Now he had to find Rey and BB-8 before going anywhere. Maybe Finn too, if Rey managed to get through to him, but probably not.

‘Rey, a scavenger from Jakku,’ the woman with the cowl sat down. ‘Got mixed up with that droid and the map a few days ago. But I had heard the other one was a deserting stormtrooper not a resistance fighter.’

‘Excuse me?’ Han took out his blaster again. No one who knew that much was ever up to anything good.

‘Easy, Solo,’ the woman held up her hands. ‘Same side.’ Maz nodded a few times with a dry expression on her face.

‘You’re with the resistance?’ Han demanded, putting his blaster away.

‘Sort of, not really,’ the woman lowered her hands, pulling the cowl down with the same movement. She seemed to be young and her nose was excessively crooked, with a clear bent right in the middle. ‘But I can arrange pick-up, although I heard you got the Falcon back.’

‘Who are you?’ Han narrowed his eyes.

‘That does not matter,’ she folded her hands. ‘Does that droid still have the map?’

‘Nah-ah,’ Han shook his head. ‘Names first.’

‘If you insist on having a name to call me by, how about Sana?’ the girl bloody dared, smirking. ‘I heard you like that name.’ Han threw her a dirty look. That story would be haunting him forever. Leia would never let him forget.

‘Good one,’ Maz grinned, looking at ‘Sana. ‘How’s your family by the way?’

‘They’re doing just fine,’ the girl said. ‘Dad will be here soon enough. Mom’s handling some stuff at home. My brother, he’s, well, getting cosy with his new girlfriend.’

‘That boy needs to watch himself,’ Maz shook her head.

‘Mom didn’t approve either, but hey, he’s a grown boy,’ the girl shrugged. ‘He can handle himself.’

‘Like he did with that bet?’ Maz raised an eyebrow. ‘The one with those ridiculous puns?’

‘That actually turned out alright,’ the girl held her hands up. ‘Don’t ask me how. By the way, I left a little mess in the woods. You mind throwing it in the garbage?’

‘Again, Dear?’ Maz sighed, then smiled fondly. ‘Sure thing.’

‘Alright, alright,’ Han broke up the small talk. ‘You were going to send a message to Leia?’

‘Yes,’ the girl perked up. ‘It might take a few days, so I’d suggest you lay low somewhere else until then. People have taken notice of you.’

‘Yeah, thanks, Maz,’ Han said dryly.

‘I’d stick around until someone shows up to get you, but my companion and I are in an equally delicate situation,’ the girl continued. ‘We’ll have to get going as soon as possible

‘The one on the table?’ Maz asked, squinting at something behind Han. He followed her eyes. At first glance, he would have said someone dumped a pile of fabric unto a table. But at closer inspection, there was indeed a person face-planted into a tabletop while three other people carried on conversation at the same table. Was that guy sleeping? In here? Impressive.

‘That would be the one,’ the girl glanced over her shoulder, completely unfazed by her pal’s odd choice of nap spot.

‘Interesting,’ Maz furrowed her brow.

‘We also need transport back to Jakku,’ Han said, paying no further attention to the sleeping guy. He had seen weirder things in here.

‘Back to Jakku?’ Maz blinked. ‘Why? Are you going back to find out what happened to your son?’ The girl frowned, looking him straight in the eye.

‘Rey needs to get back to her family,’ Han said, irritated Maz had brought it up in front of a stranger.

‘Family?’ the girl cocked her head and frowned more. ‘I can arrange that, but-.’ Maz silenced her with a gesture.

‘What did you hear about your son?’ she asked. ‘I heard many different stories myself, but they all differ greatly. Are you sure he’s dead?’

‘Yes,’ Han bit, crossing his arms and looking away. He wasn’t going to talk about it in front of a stranger. ‘Finn saw it happen.’

‘Oh, crap,’ the girl shrunk back in her chair.

‘What exactly did he tell you?’ Maz pushed.

‘Ben finally got away from that hellhole,’ Han snapped, tears already burning in his eyes. ‘And all it got him was an early grave. He died in a crash.’ He stood up to leave.

‘Wait,’ the girl blurted. ‘He’s not dead.’

‘Don’t try to mess with me, not about this,’ Han warned her.

‘It’s not a joke,’ the girl got up to look him in the eye. ‘I can’t state my sources, but it is certain Ben Solo is very much alive.’

‘Prove it,’ Han scoffed as turned away. In this place, stories always went wild. If you looked hard enough, you would find someone who would claim the Emperor was still lurking somewhere. He couldn’t get his hopes up because of some hearsay this girl picked up. Ben was gone, for good.

‘He went under the name of Kylo Ren and fled from the First Order days ago,’ the girl moved to block his path. ‘He carries a lightsaber with a crossguard, which he has waved around a few times too many on Jakku after crashing in a stolen TIE fighter with that guy,’ she pointed in the direction Finn had disappeared to, ‘And Poe Dameron, the owner of that droid. That girl got dragged into by pure coincidence. They stole the Falcon from some ‘Plutt’ fellow and somehow ended up with you at the same time your old buddies came to even some scores. Did I get anything wrong?’

‘No,’ Han blinked. ‘How do you know all that?’

‘I’ve got reliable sources,’ the girl said. ‘Maz will confirm as much.’

‘I do,’ Maz nodded, shifting in her chair to look at something in the crowd.

‘What do you know?’ Han asked. Despite himself, hope rose up in his chest. Maybe, just maybe, Finn had seen it wrong. Crash sites were messy and Ben could’ve somehow used the Force to survive.

‘I assure you he’s alive and safely away from the Order,’ the girl looked over her shoulder. ‘That’s all I know. I’ll send that message but I have to go now.’

‘Hey, wait up,’ Han said but the girl had already turned on her heels and disappeared into the crowd. He moved to follow her.

‘Don’t, Han,’ Maz called, hopping of her own chair. ‘She told what she could. I have to go as well now, but don’t do anything stupid while I’m gone.’ With that, she walked off, leaving Han to process everything on his own. He chewed his lip and went to find ‘Sana’ anyway. Maz could say what she wanted, but if that lady knew anything about Ben she was going to spill it. Even if Ben had survived after all, he was still hurt, burned and he would need help.

Han pushed through the crowd to the table where ‘Sana’s’ napping pal had been.

‘Where are they?’ Han demanded when he saw the guy was gone, as was the lady herself.

‘Dunno,’ a guy with a hood said. ‘She keeps bringing the weirdest people in here, but that’s none of my business.’

‘If you’re planning on scamming her old man again, think twice, Solo,’ a lady with goggles and a scarf said. ‘We’re on to you.’

‘I never met that girl before,’ Han said. ‘Where did she go?’

‘Wouldn’t you like to know,’ the woman scoffed. ‘Get lost, Solo.’ A third person, a guy wearing a desert veil tapped the woman’s shoulder.

‘I think I know what’s going on here,’ he whispered in her ear, but loud enough for everyone to hear. ‘He’s the one getting scammed. Remember what I just told you and what she was asking about last time?’

‘Oh,’ the woman fell silent. ‘In that case, they went outside.’

‘No,’ the hooded man interrupted. ‘Upstairs.’

‘I thought they were hiding behind the bar,’ he veiled man added. ‘Or maybe in the cellar. Or under the floorboards.’

‘Guys, stop that,’ the woman said. ‘They went outside, into the woods probably.’ Han sighed and gave up. This would get him nowhere. These people were just messing with him. He walked outside, where those two were obviously not, and towards the Falcon. Time to get Chewie involved.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Tears blurred her vision as she watched Finn walk out the door. She had trusted him and he had lied to her, but that didn’t even matter. She’d forgive it all in a heartbeat if he just turned back. If he just didn’t leave her. He glanced over his shoulder one last time before the door closed. It shouldn’t have hurt. She had made it through her entire life on her own. Still, her eyes burned and her throat ached as the door slammed shut.

BB-8 looked up at her. At least, he wasn’t going to leave her. She would get him to the resistance, with or without Finn. She moved to get back to Han and Chewie. She’d had better finish this quickly. Her parents might’ve already come back for her, only to find her gone. She couldn’t put them through the same thing Han was going through. BB-8 could stay with her after they’d delivered the map. His master was gone. He was alone too.

A scream of a frightened child forced her away from her thoughts. The cry tore through the air but no one even bothered enough to look up. No one seemed to even care. She pushed through the crowd, trying to find the source of the scream. It led her to a staircase in the back of the room.

She slowly went down the stairs, BB-8 following closely behind. Somehow, the cries became more distant as she reached the end, but they undeniably came from the corridor in front of her. No one else was down here. She doubted she was even supposed to, but a child needed her help.

The cries led her to a door at the very end of the corridor. BB-8 beeped questioningly as she slowly pushed it open, peeking inside. The cries vanished as suddenly as they had come. She should’ve just turned around now, but something inside was still calling for her. Not a voice, something else.

Against all common sense, she stepped inside, but no one was there. It was only a storage room, an almost empty one at that. Only a small table with a wooden box on top stood in it. There was nothing odd about at first sight, but something about it captivated her. Before she could think about it, she reached out and opened the box. Only a metal tube lay inside. She had never seen it, not in her lifetime of scavenging, but she knew what it was. A lightsaber. The boy in her dreams had told her about it, long ago. It was all a vague memory, but what she was looking at was a Jedi’s weapon.

She reached her hand out to pick it up. The energy surrounding it carried the weight if countless lives. Lives it had saved and lives it had taken. It was that _energy._ The energy that could destroy everything. She wanted to run, but curiosity won from the fear and she touched the metal. The box slammed shut and the sound of a weapon activating sounded behind her. She staggered back as the light slowly left the room and the walls shifted around her. When she turned to run, the boy was there, surrounded by the claws and the shadows. He just smiled at her as the claws dug into his shoulder and a dark twisted figure emerged from the shadows. Ragged, metallic breathing filled the air.

‘Don’t make the mistakes I have,’ a voice said between the breaths. The twisted figure dragged the boy away from her, into the shadows. She ran to help him, but he was already beyond her reach. The corridor collapsed sideways, throwing her to the ground. She found herself in a field of grass. Water came falling down on top of her, rain. Hushed, disembodied voices whispered while everything around her was bathed in an orange glow. Embers twirled to the ground. She looked up. Something in the distance was burning. A cloaked figure stood amidst it all, reaching out a metal hand to an ancient model droid, one from decades ago.

She turned around when she sensed a presence behind her. A faceless creature raised their weapon to strike her down. she scrambled away over the ground, but the creature was struck down itself, tossed to the side. Another faceless figure took his place, surrounded by more faceless creatures. He approached her as she got to her feet. The child’s cries tore through the air again. She turned to see Jakku’s sky with its ever-scorching sun. Her own eyes stared back at her. The screams had been her own, from the day her parents had been taken from her. The day they had left her. The child she once was, screamed and begged for them to come back. They never would. She turned to see what was already there. The ship that had taken her parents away flew towards the sun. The bright blue sky lit up bloodred, filling itself with the all-consuming energy that she had tried so long to deny. Everything turned pitch black.

When light returned to her vision, she was alone, in the woods. White sand crisped under her feet. Someone, something inside that energy called her name. She ran, away from it all, but she didn’t get far.

One of the faceless creatures was waiting for her, bringing down an ax. A tree shattered behind her as she ducked out of the way. The creature turned to her and raised the weapon again. She pressed her eyes shut and waited for the impact, but nothing happened. When she opened her eyes, the trees were gone and a storm of white sand blew around her.

In the distance, two figures stood facing each other. She could see flashes of their faces through the sandstorm. One was scarred, the other exhausted and beaten. Betrayal and loss hung between them. They slowly approached each other. Metal gleamed. She ran to stop it but the ground crumbled away under her feet and she fell.

‘These are your first step,’ the voice inside the energy said.

She caught her breath, looking around her. She was back in the storage room. A presence emerged behind her.

‘What was that?’ she asked as she jumped up, looking straight at Maz. ‘I shouldn’t have gone in there.’ It had to have been an illusion, all of it. It had to be. Her parents were coming back for her, no matter how long it took. They couldn’t be gone.

‘That lighsaber was Luke’s’, and his father’s before him,’ Maz gestured at the weapon in the box. ‘And now, it calls out to you.’

‘I have to get back to Jakku,’ Rey shook her head as tears prickled behind her eyes. Her parents would be waiting for her. They had to be.

‘Han told me,’ Maz took a deep breath and sighed. She reached out her hand. Rey took it, kneeling down to look her in the eye. ‘Dear child, I can see your eyes. You already know he truth. Whomever you’re waiting for on Jakku, they’re never coming back, but there’s still someone who will.’ Rey could no longer stop her tears. What she had just seen, it had been so real. It was real, exactly like she had remembered it. _That energy_ had taken her parents away from her and they weren’t coming back. They had left her behind and now they were gone.

‘Luke,’ she said. It had to be. His lightsaber had that same energy, the one she fought her entire life to keep away. Maybe he could help her to finally get rid of it.

‘The belonging you seek is not behind you,’ Maz continued. ‘It is ahead. I’m no Jedi but I know the Force. It moves through and surrounds every living thing. Close your eyes,’ she closed her own eyes as example. ‘Feel it. The light has always been there. It will guide you.’ She opened her eyes again and looked at the box. ‘The lightsaber, take it.’ Rey looked behind her, at the weapon.  The energy of the lives it had touched rolled around in waves. That energy shouldn’t be touched. It could destroy everything.

‘I’m never touching that thing again,’ she jumped up and ran away, away from the pain and the confusion, away from the memories and the loss.

 

* * *

 

 

One of Brynda’s unwitting informants poked him a bit, but they all decided to just leave him be. Ben waited a few moments before he peeked out from under the tarp. Finn, the girl and the droid had left at some point, but Brynda was now sitting at the table and having a conversation with Dad and Maz. He turned his head down again when Maz looked in his direction. Still, he could practically feel her gaze burning through him. This was going to be one awkward reunion.

Before he could even loop up again, a disturbance passed through the Force, pushing the air from his lungs. He gasped as pain shot through his skull. He stumbled from his chair, trying to find his way outside, but all his senses were numbed. Somehow, he had made it outside anyway, because when his vision returned, he was standing in the grass and between the trees. He leaned against the nearest trunk to avoid falling to his knees.

Something was twisting up the Force, twisting and turning it into shapes that should never be. Time and space itself were stretched to the limit, close to tearing apart. The Force itself was crying out in pain. He reached out through it but the grid, the paths he knew were distorted beyond recognition. The backlash threw him off his feet.

‘Hey, Duncy?’ Brynda’s voice echoed between the trees. ‘What are you doing? Get back inside.’ Her hand appeared on his arm. ‘What’s wrong? Why are you on the ground?’

‘They’re doing it,’ Ben realised out loud. ‘The weapon. It’s charging.’

‘No, that can’t be.’ The sounds of buttons being pressed rung in his ears like drums. ‘The resistance launched an attack, but the weapon wasn’t there.’

‘It can move,’ Ben muttered, fighting the fog in his mind. ‘from star to star. They must’ve moved, but I don’t know where.’

‘It’s too late for that anyway. They’re trying to evacuate the Hosnian system,’ she said. ‘But it might be too late and it’s getting even worse. Come on. We need to get you the hell out of here, now.’

‘Why?’ he asked, staring around him. His vision gradually restored itself. Brynda’s face came into sight. She was agitated. ‘What’s going on?’

‘An entire circus of First Order assclowns is its way here,’ she yanked him to his feet. ‘You need to hide.’

‘What? No,’ he protested, reaching for his saber. ‘They’re here for me and they will tear this place and everyone in it apart if they have to. I have to do something.’

‘They don’t know you’re here,’ she dragged him away between the trees. ‘They’re here for the droid, but if they see you or that saberstick of yours, we’ll have the entire First Order on our asses. Everyone here will be tremendously fucked and Maz won’t be thanking us.’

‘Are you sure they don’t know I’m here?’ he began moving on his own. She might very well have a point. They would already send plenty of troops just for the droid. If he poked his head around the corner, double that number would show up.

‘Yes,’ she came to a halt. ‘I have to go back to warn Maz. Maybe we can still do something, but if things really go sideways, just go to your father. This is no time for family squabbles. Just find him and get the hell out. I’ll catch up with you. Now go.’

‘But-,’ he protested.

‘No buts,’ she cut him off. ‘For once, just keep your head down. It’s our best bet.’ She turned around, glancing over her shoulder one last time. ‘Don’t do anything stupid, Solo.’ Before he could answer, she sprinted away between the trees. He took a deep breath and did the same in the opposite direction, away from the castle. Red lines traced the skies above him. Countless screams accompanied it, only to be silenced within seconds.


	17. Second changes

‘So now what?’ Chewie asked.

Han glared at the empty table. Those three fellows had known when to make themselves scarce. He scanned the cantina, but ‘Sana’ and her pal had managed to stay out of sight so far as well. No arrogant smirks or napping piles anywhere in here. ‘We keep looking,’ he grumbled. ‘That lady knew something.’

‘Are you sure?’ Chewie asked in a tone that was a mix of hopefulness and skepticism. Han felt very much the same.

‘That’s what I thought,’ Han hesitated. ‘But she knew things she couldn’t have. Besides, if there is even the smallest chance Ben is still out there somewhere-.’ He didn’t finish that thought. He didn’t need to. They had both heard Finn’s story. Ben was hurt, badly.

‘Then we’ll find him,’ Chewie nodded. ‘I just mean, don’t pin yourself down on this. It might all turn out to be some tall tale. Plenty of those are going around here.’

‘Yeah, I know,’ Han turned around, scanning the cantina once more. He knew Chewie was probably right, but he couldn’t help himself from believing it more every second. Ben had survived crashes before. One time when he was twelve and they had thought he had died that time too. He had discovered his first grey hairs right after that incident.

Although it might have been on purpose at that time, when they finally did find him, he was completely unharmed. Until Leia got his hands on him, that was. Shivers went down his spine when he recalled. The kitchen accident had been charming compared to that.

‘Wait,’ Chewie stopped him, pointing at the entrance. ‘What’s going on over there?’ People were flooding outside by the dozens.

‘I’ve got a hunch that involves some kids and a droid,’ Han dropped his shoulders. He had expected some fuss concerning Finn and Rey. Those two had plenty to discuss. He had thought Rey might actually convince Big Deal to stick around a little longer, but Han understood all too well wanting to get away from all the crazy. ‘Let’s check it out.’

He let out a sigh of relief when neither Finn, Rey or the happy ball appeared to be the center of attention. Everyone was looking up at the sky instead. He tilted his head backwards to see what was so fascinating. His heart skipped a beat.

Bloodred line traced the sky, slowly forging a path ahead. Each path concluded in a burst, an explosion of some sort. An ice-cold sensation went through his skull. That configuration looked karking much like the Hosnian system. It couldn’t be. The technology to destroy planets had existed. He had helped destroy it, but this just couldn’t be.

‘It was the republic,’ Finn came sprinting for him, flushed and panting, and alone. ‘The First Order, they’ve done it.’

Han looked back up at the sky. There was no denying it, but something in his mind just didn’t click for another moment. When it did, his thought raced wild in his head.  Where was Leia? What if she’d gone back to their old home for some reason? What if Ben had survived, only to go home and die along with the rest of the system?

‘Where’s Rey?’ Finn asked, feverishly eying his surroundings. Han shook his head, forcing down the chaos in his thoughts. The problems he could do something about first.

‘I thought she was still with you,’ Han explained. ‘Where did you last see here?’ Finn opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by Maz’s voice bellowing over the field.

‘An attack is imminent,’ she announced. ‘The First Order is on its way here. I’m putting the contingency plan into action. You all know what that is. If not, find someone who does and stick with them. Most importantly, don’t try and be smart by flying out of here. You’ll be shot down before you can exit the atmosphere.’

‘Great,’ Han muttered under his breath. The First Order had destroyed what was technically the republic, but that wasn’t enough. They had to run this place down before they would call it a day.

‘Come on,’ he grabbed Finn’s shoulder. The contingency plan consisted roughly of ‘Hide in the woods, hope they don’t find you and- if at all possible- cause enough trouble so they give up on trying’. Considering Takodana was almost entirely woods, caves, mountains, and lakes, it was a better plan than you’d think. Lots of spaces to hide and maneuver. Especially if you took into account that most of Maz’s patrons had questionable skills.

No one would be left inside. Maz would make sure of that. Still, he would feel a lot better if he knew where Rey and the happy ball were hanging out. He dragged Finn back to the castle, Chewie in tow.

‘Yes, you,’ Maz jabbed a finger at him as he passed. ‘I’ve got some things to discuss with you.’ Han shared the sentiment but finding Rey was the immediate priority. ‘Something Rey will need.’

‘Speak up then,’ Han slowed down a bit while Maz caught up to them.

‘I will have to show you,’ she dashed ahead of them, urging them to follow her in the direction they were going anyway.

‘Where is she?’ Finn broke away and hurried after Maz.

‘Already outside,’ Maz said nonchalantly as she hopped down some stairs.

‘Then we’re going in the wrong direction,’ Han noted. They weren’t going to be keeping her safe from the basement.

‘In here,’ Maz ignored him and went straight to the end of the hallway the stairs had led them into. Han let out a sigh of annoyance and stalked after her. She opened a door and let them into a small, mostly empty storage room. A single table with a box on it stood against the wall. She went straight towards it and threw it open.

‘I’ve had this for ages. Kept it locked away,’ she said, holding out her hand. Something metal gleamed in it. Han took a closer look and his jaw dropped. That was Luke’s old lightsaber. The one he had gotten from old Ben. The man Han and Leia had named their son after. _It means hope for me,_ Leia had said and the Force knew they could’ve used some of that back then.

‘Where did you get that?’ Han furrowed his brow. The last time anyone had seen that thing was on Cloud City thirty years ago, along with Luke’s hand. He sure hoped she didn’t have that laying around here somewhere.

‘A good question, for another time,’ Maz hand Finn the lightsaber. ‘Take it. Find your friend.’ That was a convenient manner of dodging a question, but Han let it slide. He had better things to do than stand here and argue. Still, there was one matter he couldn’t let slide. He watched as Finn raced out of the room.

‘What do you know about Ben?’ he demanded of Maz before following. ‘Was that girl telling the truth and how would she know?’

‘all I can tell you is that your son is alive and save,’ Maz looked him in the eye.

‘Where?’ Han pushed. His breath caught in his throat as he processed the information. Ben was alive. ‘Where is he? Just tell me what you know.’

‘Unlike the rest of us,’ Maz added. As if to emphasise her point, the entire room shook and shuddered. Cracks formed on the walls and pebbles came tumbling from the ceiling.

‘Yeah,’ Han conceded. There were better ways to go than being squashed by a building. ‘Let’s discuss this outside.’

‘Those monster,’ Maz stormed out of the room. ‘They’re already here.’

‘I guess you’ll now have better things to do than throw yourself at the First Order,’ Chewie remarked, sounding both surprised and relieved. ‘Like herding kids.’

‘Seems like it,’ Han muttered as he hurried after Maz, his mind still trying to catch up. In barely a day, he had gone from thinking Ben was beyond his reach, to thinking he had died, to not knowing what the kriff was going on, to maybe having another chance. A chance he wouldn’t screw up again.

They found Finn gaping at a pile of rocks and beams blocking the staircase they had come from. Han was going to need to have a serious word with him when this was all over.

‘Any other way out?’ Han asked, watching as something on the other side was trying to knock it down.

‘No,’ Maz shook her head with one decisive movement. ‘There’s not.’

That promised to be a hassle. Debris already came rolling down from the pile. Finn aimed his blaster at the staircase. Han pushed it down. They would need to come up with something better. Stormtroopers wouldn’t come in numbers they could beat.

The blockade burst apart. Eight stormtroopers came barging in, blasters aimed. That was double their number and Maz didn’t even have a weapon. If they started shooting now, they would just be overrun and all end up a stain on the floor.

‘Put down your weapons,’ the most colourful of the troopers- a single red shoulder plate broke the monotony of the black and white- shouted. ‘We’re taking you into custody by order of Supreme leader Snoke.’

‘Smoke?’ Han stalled, looking quasi-questioningly at Chewie. ‘Do you know a Smoke?’ Smoke would be all that would be left of Snoke when he would be done with him. Ben had survived after all, but that doesn’t mean Snoke wasn’t going to pay for _burning_ him and what else he had done during all those years.

‘Snoke,’ the colourful stormtrooper shouted. ‘Supreme leader Snoke.’

The poor idiot.

If he had any idea who he was talking to, he should know all too well Han was just screwing with him. There was no way he didn’t know who Snoke was. His wife had founded the resistance, for crying out loud. Luckily for him, The First Order liked their soldier dumb.

‘What makes him supreme?’ Han stalled some more. He had to stop himself from throwing some insults in the mix. He wouldn’t be helping anyone by getting shot.

‘Weapons down,’ the trooper repeated. He was catching on. Han would’ve to come up with something better.

‘Is it something he did,’ Han jabbed his thumb in Finn’s direction. ‘Is this about the stormtrooper boots?’

‘That’s how you knew?’ Big deal sputtered. Han made a note to not let this kid run off on his own again. He wouldn’t last three days, and that was a generous estimate.

‘Weapons down,’ the colourful trooper was getting tired of the show. There was a limit to how far you could push these things. It’d be better to play along for a bit.

Han pulled the blaster from Finn’s hand and threw it to the floor.

‘Down,’ he declared, ignoring Finn’s protests.

‘And the hairy thing,’ the colourful trooper demanded, being a complete jerk. Being on different sides of a war didn’t give you an excuse to be a jackass.

‘Don’t call him that,’ Han said, gesturing at Chewie to do as told. That destructive helldevice of a bowcaster ended up on the floor. Big deal was smart-mouthing him in the meantime. Maz just frowned at him in disapproval. He didn’t see her offering any suggestions. At least he was doing something.

‘And your blaster,’ the colourful trooper demanded.

‘My blaster?’ Han hesitated. Unless Finn learned how to use that lightsaber in the following second, that was their last means of defence. ‘It’s broken,’ he said, weighing the odds. Eight of them, fully armed, and four of them, only one still armed plus some weapons on the floor. The chances of getting out of here with their freedom and all bodily functions intact were already meager. He might as well try something desperate.

‘Put it down,’ the trooper repeated.

‘Oh, come on,’ Han took the blaster from his belt and stepped forward. ‘Just look at it. There’s no way this thing would even work.’

‘Put it down,’ the trooper said, lowering his own blaster. People tended to freeze when confused. That was the perfect time to strike.

‘Calm down,’ Han shoved the barrel into the trooper’s helmet. ‘It’s completely faulty. Keeps going off at the strangest time.’ He pulled the trigger with the slightest of movements. The trooper collapsed to the floor with smoke rising from his helmet.

‘See what I mean,’ Han turned to the next trooper and held out the blaster with the barrel forwards.

‘Put it down,’ the second trooper yelled, aiming his weapon.

‘I could do that,’ Han nodded. ‘But it would just be shooting at our feet and we wouldn’t want that.’ He pulled the trigger and the trooper fell backwards with a brand new hole in his armour. ‘I almost lost my leg like that once.’ He pivoted and shot the next one. That nearly evened out the odds. He took down the fourth without a word, hoping at least Chewie had caught on by now. This little act wasn’t going to hold out for much longer.

Fortunately, Chewie had. A bolt of Annihilation flew past Han, throwing two trooper back up the stairs. That brought it down to two. A second bolt from Chewie sent those two into oblivion as well. That had gone surprisingly well. Before Han could voice that thought, Finn dashed up the stairs, leaving his blaster on the floor. Well, at least he had the lightsaber now.

 

* * *

 

 

Ben skidded to an abrupt halt and ducked behind a boulder when he saw the ships approaching in the distance. His heart pounded in his chest and the wounds on his back ached. The bandages seemed to be curling up under his shirt. He looked up. The fleet was large enough to turn Kanata’s castle- and everyone in it- into a pile of dust.

‘There is nothing you can do without drawing attention to your presence here,’ Grandfather spoke. ‘Besides, if those bandages get loose, you might very well be incapacitated.’

 ‘Yeah, I should probably have those replaced,’ Ben admitted, looking around. His senses had been in complete disarray just a few minutes ago. Still, he would’ve liked to believe he would’ve noticed a blue-ish, luminescent person standing right next to him. He didn’t. ‘Uh, where are you?’

‘I don’t need to physically manifest myself to speak,’ Grandfather explained. ‘But more importantly, you need to hurry. The Millennium Falcon is hidden on a field one and a half mile to the North. You can hide there until the battle has died down and leave this planet along with your father.’

‘Okay,’ Ben snuck away between the trees. That sounded like a great back-up plan, but not quite yet.

This was not how he imagined this day would go. He had actually been rather enjoying himself until Dad had popped up. Now, he was left with the choice of facing Dad or being hauled straight back to Snoke. As long as he wasn’t forced to make that decision, he was going with the third option; hiding out here and hope it would all just go away.

‘Ben, that’s the West,’ Grandfather noted observantly.

‘Yeah, I know,’ he picked up the pace. ‘And those ships are heading east. This is the best chance to stay out of their way.’ He hated the idea of having to sneak around and do nothing, but unless he wanted to attract an armada to this place, it was all he could do.

‘No,’ Grandfather refuted. ‘It seems your friend’s message has gotten through. Everyone is taking refuge in these woods. Many of them are preparing counter-attacks. They’re taking the fight over here.’

‘They could stand a chance,’ Ben scanned his surroundings. Although stormtroopers were supposed to be able to deal with all sorts of terrains, experience proved everything but open field slowed them down significantly. Hux’s ‘pristine’ training methods had left them a tad inflexible, slow to adapt to anything outside of the rule books. Although not quite as badly as a droid army would’ve been. Still, they couldn’t get heavy machinery over here and air support would be impeded by the lack of clear vision. Besides, Kanata’s people would have the element of surprise and his little adventures with the poison darts had made him all too aware of how annoying it was if your opponents were up in a tree. ‘I think I’ll go and give them a hand.’

‘No,’ Grandfather repeated. ‘You were supposed to find your father and get somewhere safe.’

‘If things would go sideways,’ Ben reminded him, getting back into motion. He would be little help if he kept standing around like a nerf waiting to be shot. ‘Which they haven’t. Yet.’

‘Why?’ Grandfather asked.

‘Why what?’ Ben shoved a branch out of his face while he climbed up a hill. He recalled all the strange jokes Luke had made about having the high ground. They had all been lame and made no sense- _Make sure to have the high ground or you might catch on fire. Stay on the high ground if you want to keep your legs-_ but there was a core of truth to them. The high ground gave you better oversight of the situation.

‘I know the history between you and your parents is painful and complicated,’ Grandfather began. ‘But why take these risks to avoid your father?’

‘I already said it. Back in the cantina,’ Ben blew out a sharp breath. This conversation was going to suck on various levels. ‘To Brynda. Didn’t you hear that?’

‘I don’t have the habit of listening in on your private conversations,’ Grandfather said.

Ben stopped and leaned against a tree, frowning at the air, vaguely in the direction the voice seemed to be coming from. He couldn’t really tell, so he mostly just guessed. ‘You just did,’ he remarked. ‘And back on the ship. Oh, and also when Finn and that other soldier dragged me back to my chambers. That’s at least three times.’

‘That was different,’ Grandfather argued. ‘You were hurt or in danger all three of those times. But that is beyond the point. Answer my question. Why do you go to these lengths to avoid your father?’

‘Because he never wanted me,’ Ben said, quickly touching the dice in his pocket. It had reminded him of old times. Before the Force had awakened in him and Dad had run away every time things had gotten hard. That’s why he had kept it against all common sense. ‘Not back then and definitely not now. If anything, he hates me.’

‘It seems you underestimate a father’s love, as well as a mother’s love,’ Grandfather spoke, still invisible. ‘I assure you, neither of them hated you. Now go before it’s too late.’

‘I’d rather not,’ Ben pressed his lips together. As long as there was a reasonable chance he would get out of this without a sour family reunion, he was perfectly content with running through the woods and knocking whatever helmets he saw. They couldn’t search every inch of this planets. Odds were if he didn’t make himself a too obvious of a presence, he could just wait until all the troopers left and go find Brynda so they could finally get the hell out of here

‘I understand you don’t want to see Luke after what happened that night,’ Grandfather said. ‘But-.’

‘Don’t go there,’ Ben cut him off. The _go see your parents_ speeches were bad enough. If there was going to be a _talk it out with Luke_ one next, he might just stick his fingers in his ears and _lalala_ real hard while sprinting away.

‘Why your parents?’ Grandfather finished anyway. He frowned before he spoke again. ‘They made terrible mistakes, but they never hated you. They were afraid.’

‘Hate, fear, what’s the difference?’ Ben demanded, struggling to keep his voice down. Despite his _lalala_ urges, doing anything too loudly would just give his position away

‘Both are apparently enough to slaughter your own blood in their sleep.’ A lump caught in his throat and his chin trembled against his will. He paced in a circle and kicked aside rocks and branches, trying to get rid of it.

‘You know what I never got?’ he snapped when it didn’t work and all the anger took hold of him. ‘He didn’t hesitate to save you even though you were on different sides of a war, but he tried to kill me in my sleep. Somehow, I was just too far gone. He practically raised me, but I guess I just wasn’t worth saving. He never even tried.’ Tears burned behind his eyes. He clenched his fist and rammed it into the tree, again and again. Because his parents believed him a monster. Because Luke had thought him to dangerous to be left alive. Because he had proven them right. He had told himself the ends had justified the means. That someone had to the hard thing so less would suffer in the long run. He had killed because Snoke had told him it was the right thing to do. He was just a monster in the end.

The skin on his knuckles bursting, brought him back to the here and now. If he kept this up, he would have troopers on his tail within seconds. He stopped but didn’t take his hand away from the tree.

Seconds of silence passed as he pressed his fist into the tree trunk, twisting it against the bark and further breaking the skin. A single drop of blood dribbled down.

He bit his lip, preparing himself to get a move on. There was no having a conversation after an outburst like this. Grandfather had probably decided to leave him be, like everyone would.

Before he could take a step, two hands- one gloved, the other not, he noted- folded around his and pulled it away from the tree. He turned his head to see Grandfather stare at him with a look of worry.

‘He would’ve never done it,’ he said, turning Ben’s hand with the knuckled up and inspecting the scratches. They were superficial but stung anyway. ‘Whatever it was that possessed him to ignite his lightsaber, he would’ve never hurt you.’

‘Sure,’ Ben scoffed, looking away. The tarp already hid his face, but it was an old habit. ‘Luke can do no wrong.’

‘Hey,’ Grandfather said gently, ‘Look at me.’ His voice betrayed only concern, no anger or disappointment.

Somehow, that made it worse. Demands, shouting, rebukes, he could’ve dealt with all of that, but he couldn’t take the _pity._ Every muscle in his body tensed as he had to stop himself from just running away.

‘You are not to blame for Luke’s actions, nor your parents’, but they don’t hate you and they would never harm you. Never.’

‘If you say so,’ Ben shook his head in disbelief. He could stand here all day, listing all the reasons he had to believe otherwise, but he had more urgent problems.

The Force had gradually been returning to its natural state. At this point, he could sense waves of fear and anger rolling through the woods. He closed his eyes. Nuances he had stopped himself from perceiving, flooded him. Beyond the fear of survival, there was fear for the sake of others. Among the anger at being threatened, there was anger at those who would hurt those you loved.

Something inside him moved. Guilt was a weak word for it, but the only way he could describe it. These were just people. People who hadn’t chosen to fight but would to protect themselves and those around them. He had turned his blade against people like this. He had killed people like this. Under the guise of _the greater good_ or _it’s just the way war is._ No more.

He couldn’t change the past, but he would do what he could to help this time. He steadied himself, the way he always did before a battle, silencing his thoughts completely. A tense sort of calm washed over him. His mind still raged underneath, but it would hold.

‘The Falcon was this way, right?’ Ben pointed to the North. Grandfather nodded slowly. Both utter surprise and relief were visible in his face. If it weren’t for the uneasy conversation they’d just had, Ben would’ve burst out in laughter. It was somewhat comforting seeing a human being behind the legend. Apparently, even Anakin Skywalker wasn’t above falling for a petty stratagem. ‘I’ll be going this way then.’ He walked the direction perpendicular to the one the ships were going. He couldn’t do anything big without drawing half an entire fleet here, but he could point the fleeing people in the right direction. Maybe drop some trees to cover their escape. If those trees happen to fall on top of some troopers, all the better.

‘Wait,’ Grandfather called after him. Ben waved without looking back. Not exactly mature, but he couldn’t bring himself to sit around and continue the conversation. A hand around his arm yanked him back. ‘There are enemy soldiers heading for that area.’

‘Good,’ Ben lurched ahead- freeing his arm in the process- and found another tree to hide behind. He peeked around to get a grasp on the situation. Three troopers were snooping around the bushes, prodding their weapons into anything a person could hide in. ‘I can take those. Without lightsaber.’

‘No,’ Grandfather asserted, suddenly standing next to him. Ghosts apparently didn’t need to walk to get anywhere either. ‘It carries too many risks. Even if you take those out, more will come to investigate.’

‘An endless supply of targets then?’ Ben concluded.

Grandfather let out a sharp sigh. ‘You’ll be helping no one by making your presence known.’

‘Some hit-and-run attacks should do no harm,’ Ben leaned further around the tree. ‘They’ll never know it’s me.’

‘You can’t,’ Grandfather said. ‘It’s too dangerous. I didn’t want to tell you this before because of your personal connection to them, but two of the knights of Ren are leading this attack. If they as much as suspect your presence, they’ll come for you and you won’t stand a chance with your injuries. Go and find your father.’

Ben dropped his head and pressed his eyes shut. He should’ve known this would be coming sooner or later. Snoke left nothing to chance.

He went over which of his knights it could be. Not Waron, that was for sure. Somehow, his commlink was always ‘broken’ at the most inconvenient time- or convenient, depending on your point of view. Tamas and Kiar had been hunting the same karking artefact for over a year. Apparently, it moved somehow, not that anyone would’ve told him how that was possible. It was ‘needed-to-know’. That left Maura, Shyam, and Revon.

If it had just been Shyam, he might have talked his way out of it. Although his loyalty to his fellow knights was admirable, Shyam’s loyalty to the First Order had always been questionable at best. But he wasn’t alone.

Maura and Revon, on the other hand, had always been fiercely loyal to the First Order. Revon’s reasons deluded him, but Maura’s motivation had been clear from the start. She had joined because Snoke had promised her the power to root out the thing she hated most. To prevent others from suffering the fate she had. Slavery. He had always admired her for that, but he suspected she was just being used as well. If nothing else, he owed it to her to warn her and the other knights.

He reached out through the Force, wondering who he would find. It took half a second. Their presence reached back to him, Maura and Shyam They knew he was here.

 ‘Well done,’ Grandfather looked him dead in the eye. ‘Anything else you would like to do.’

‘One more thing,’ Ben looked down the hill. Those three troopers had found something, or rather someone. A girl ran through the woods as the troopers moved to give chase. He couldn’t see her face, but the three little buns bouncing on the back of her head proved that was the girl traveling with Dad. Rey, as Brynda had said.

He compared the position of the trees to the location of the girl and the troopers. It matched up perfectly.


	18. Misguided

 

Rey leaned unto a rock to catch her breath. The castle was far out of sight and _that energy_ was gone. It had lied. It had to have been. Her parents weren’t gone. They were coming back. They might have already. She needed to get back before it was too late.

‘Hey,’ BB-8 beeped, apparently having followed her. Her shoulders dropped.

‘What are you doing?’ she sighed.

‘Stay with you,’ he tilted his head.

‘You have to go back,’ she crouched down in front of him. ‘I’m leaving.’

‘Stay together,’ BB-8 beeped.’

She bit her lip. It was what she had wanted, but they couldn’t anymore. She couldn’t wait any longer with going back to Jakku and BB-8 needed to get to the resistance.

‘You can’t,’ she said. ‘You’re too important. They’ll help you.’ Her breath caught in her throat as the sound of ships raged above. She stumbled to her feet as she saw dozens of battleships heading to the castle. Those were First Order ships. They were coming for them, for BB-8.

She sprinted back to the castle, jumping over rocks and ducking under branches. Han and Chewie were still there. She needed to warn them.

When the castle finally did come back in sight, it was already under fire. The main tower came tumbling down. Hardly anything was left, torn apart by explosions. BB-8 hummed in a frightened tone

The sound of a commlink activating made her jump. A stormtrooper stood mere yards away, blaster ready. Without hesitation, she took out her own and aimed. She pulled the trigger. It blocked.

‘Safety,’ Rey hissed as the stormtrooper looked up. She removed the pin and shot again, and again. The first shot went straight past the trooper and hit a tree. The second hit the soldier and tossed him over. She gaped at her own weapon. Had she just done that? She had simply pulled a trigger and now a man was down, probably dead.

She didn’t get much to ponder on it. More stormtroopers emerged from the woods and shot at her and BB-8. She shot back but there were too many. Running was the only option. She weaved between the trees with BB-8 on her heels.

By some miracle, one of the trooper got caught in a net ad was hoisted up a tree. She glanced over her shoulder to see the remaining troopers stop and stare. Another one was shot by an invisible weapon. The rest feverishly eyed the surroundings aiming their weapons at the bushes. Rey took the moment to lose them and directed BB-8 into a small opening between two enormous trees. She crouched down to his level, keeping her head down to avoid getting shot.

‘You have to keep going,’ she said. ‘Stay out of sight. I’ll try to fight them off.’

‘Hope back together soon,’ he beeped before rolling away and out of sight.

‘I hope so too,’ she managed a strained smile and straightened herself, keeping her blaster ready. No more troopers came. She peeked out through the opening. The net with the trooper was gone, as were all the other troopers. Someone seemed to be having fun. She walked out into the open and headed back to what remained of the castle. She needed to find Han and Chewie or they weren’t going anywhere. That turned out to be a mistake.

Three brand new troopers were poking around the bushes with their blasters. She took a deep breath and got in their line of sight. If they stumbled upon BB-8, all had been for nothing and she wasn’t about to let that happen. She waited for them to notice and ran. They gave chase, but it didn’t last very long. Two trees came crashing down at the same time. Someone was definitely having fun out here.

She looked back to find all three troopers gone, either behind or underneath the trees. Whatever the case, they weren’t bothering her anymore.

A man came down from the hill on her side. His face was covered with some kind of fabric. She aimed her blaster, not knowing whether it was ally or enemy. Her heart skipped a beat when _that energy_ returned, radiating from the man. He stopped dead in his tracks when he looked at her.

‘It’s you,’ he said. ‘Rey?’ He approached reaching out his hand. She flinched back and pulled the trigger. The blast froze right in front of her and stayed there. Her heart pounded in her ears and she shot again. The man ducked and reached out his hand again.

Her muscles froze. Then, something forced her arms down to her side, making her drop her blaster.

The man tilted his head and came closer, holding his hand toward her. The other moved to his own face and pulled off the tarp, tossing it on the ground. She gasped. It was him. The boy.

Older than she remembered and older than he could logically have been, but it was him. There was no doubt about it. Those were his eyes, and they were the last thing she saw before her legs gave out and everything went dark.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Ben stared in wonder, breathless. It was _her._

The girl from his dreams. She looked as he had seen her mere hours ago, older and hardened by life. But it had never been dreams. Somehow, she was real. What did this mean? Were they some kind of visions after all?

Her eyes flashed with rage at first, but when he tossed the tarp aside, her eyes went wide. Shock gushed off her. Had she seen the same visions?

Her eyes returned to gleaming with rage. She would go right back to shooting him the moment he released her. That much he could sense.

There was no time for this. Maura and Shyam could show up any moment now. He had planned on making this quick and sending her on her way, not on dodging blaster fire while explaining they were on the same side, sort of.

He sent a ripple through her consciousness and caught her when she fell.  This wasn’t ideal, but he had tried to help her and she had made it very difficult. Was that what he got for bringing down a tree for her?

He glanced around before climbing back on the hill. The droid didn’t seem to be with her, although Luke could get bent for all he cared.

He put Rey down underneath some bushes and moved the branches to hide her. It was a bit crude but it would have to do. He couldn’t exactly leave her out in the open and Maura and Shyam were too close for him to put some actual distance between him and Rey. With a bit of luck, they wouldn’t notice her or care enough to do something about it. He sat down on a tree trunk.

‘Ben?’ Grandfather asked, invisible again. ‘What are you doing? They’ll be here within minutes.’

‘I know,’ Ben took his lightsaber out from under his shirt and placed it on his belt, just in case. ‘I have some things to say to them.’

‘Don’t,’ Grandfather urged. ‘You won’t stand a chance in battle in your condition.’

‘Who said anything about a battle?’ Ben asked. ‘I’m not planning on fighting anyone. They’re my knights. They won’t harm me.’

‘Don’t be so sure,’ Grandfather said. ‘Snoke has his claws into them deeply. Their loyalty to you might be twisted beyond recognition.’

‘They’re in this mess because of me,’ Ben bit his lip. ‘I owe it to them to get them out too.’

‘Very well,’ Grandfather said after a moment. ‘But be careful. I cannot help you with this.’

‘You won’t need to,’ Ben said, turning his head at the sound of rustling leaves. A lone figure emerged from between the trees. ‘Hey, Maura.’

‘Strange,’ she squinted her eyes above her veil. ‘We came here to find a droid but we found you instead. Don’t tell me you came here to seek out Solo.’

‘Is he here?’ Ben raised an eyebrow. ‘I had no idea. Where’s Shyam though? I sensed his presence.’ As soon as he had finished that sentence, A metal bar was tossed in front of his throat and pulled back. He looked up to Shyam’s masked face.

‘Right here,’ Shyam took the handle of his ax away and put it aside as he sat down on the trunk, taking his mask off and revealing a grin ‘What the hell have you been doing? We’ve been cleaning up after you ever since Hux called us. That ginger has no chill.’

‘Nothing much,’ Ben shrugged. ‘Sitting around here, enjoying the view and rethinking my options of employment. You should try it. Really clears the mind. For example, I realised Snoke’s full of crap.’

‘Well, why don’t you tell us what you really think?’ Shyam laughed and threw an arm around his neck. It seemed innocent enough, but he was also effectively pinning him down. ‘Let’s get it all out of your system and go home. You’ve had your fun.’

‘He’s using us,’ Ben said. ‘He’s been lying to us all. We need to get away from him.’

‘Okay then,’ Maura put her hands on her hips. ‘Someone’s overreacting again. Come on.’ She nodded at the direction she came from. ‘let’s go.’

‘No,’ Ben dug his fingers into Shyam’s arm as a distraction. In the meantime, he tried to find a foothold in the tree trunk. ‘Listen to me. He’s dangerous. Has he told you why I ran?’

‘Yes, he has and he regrets it,’ Maura sighed. ‘But he acted in your best interest.’

‘My best interest?’ Ben exclaimed. ‘He burned me, Maura, and he’ll do it again.’

‘Easy,’ Shyam strengthened his grip. ‘Mistakes were made, but Maura’s right, you’re overreacting.’

‘Name one time I’ve overreacted then. One time that gives you a reason to think I’m overreacting now,’ Ben pushed his heel down in a crack in the wood. As much as he wanted them to listen, he wasn’t about to let them drag him back to Snoke.

‘Like that time you faked your death because Luke told you off?’ Shyam tapped him on the head. ‘Remember that, Maura? Three whole weeks we thought he was dead while he was just sulking somewhere.’

‘That’s not what happened,’ Ben sighed. He had never been able to live that one down. He had tried getting his parents attention by picking a fight with Luke after they’d been ignoring because of some democratic crisis, which hadn’t worked. So he had stepped up his game and ran away in a come-and-get-me gesture, but his ship had crashed and he got stuck on some uncharted planet. Amateurish but he had been twelve. When they’d found him three weeks later, everyone had flipped their shits and assumed he had crashed on purpose. Who even does that? There had been a lot of shouting, Mom had smacked him, twice, and Luke had pulled out his I’m-not-angry-just-disappointed speech. Getting smacked a third time would’ve been preferable.

‘How could I’ve possible forgotten that?’ Maura doubled over in laughter. ‘He was crying like a baby when they brought him back.’ Ben scoffed. As if she hadn’t clutched his leg every time he moved for two months after. Besides, try getting smacked by Leia Organa. Anyone would be crying then.

‘And remember how he looked Luke dead in the eye and told him that he was “Finding Snips”?’ Shyam snickered. ‘Luke just gave up and blamed the nearest wall.’

‘Where did Artoo even get those recordings?’ Maura tilted her head.

‘Finding Snips’ was a game based on some holorecordings Artoo had shown everyone but Ben. _Your mom said no,_ the overturned trashcan on wheels would say. Anyway, it had been about two Jedi kids leading a clone batallion- apparently they had been out of adults- and amassing an impressive track record of idiocy. Artoo beeped out their real names for some reason, but at Luke’s temple they were known as Skyguy and Snips, whatever that was supposed to mean. At some point, Skyguy had lost Snips, so they had made a game out of looking for her in the weirdest places when they were kids. Later on, it became an excuse for skipping training.

‘Not a clue,’ Shyam shrugged.

‘I’m not overreacting,’ Ben insisted. ‘Just listen.’

‘There was also that time you interrupted Snoke’s speech to call Hux a rancid fuckworm,’ Maura ignored him. ‘I mean, you were right, but come on. Timing, it’s important.’

‘Snoke tossed me across the room for that,’ Ben reminded her.‘You think he’ll just let all this slide? He’ll be frying the rest of me.’

‘No, he won’t,’ Shyam said completely seriously. ‘He admitted he acted too harshly and he’s familiar with your dramatic tendencies. If you come back, he’ll be merciful.’

‘Merciful?’ Ben snorted. ‘And I’ll be a tauntaun. He’ll all but kill me.’

‘Dramatic,’ Maura emphasised.

‘I’m not dramatic’ Ben said, preparing to get the hell out. He had done what he could.

‘So why is it you keep wrecking equipment?’ Maura countered.

‘Yeah,’ Shyam chimed in. ‘What’s up with that?’ Ben dropped his shoulders. He didn’t really have an explanation for that one.

‘Kylo,’ Maura said. ‘You know they’re not worth all of this. Come home while this can still be resolved.’

‘Who are?’ Ben estimated Shyam’s position and how much momentum he was going to need.

‘Your parents,’ she said. ‘They don’t care for you and your persistent attachment to them will only cause you harm. You need to let go and Supreme leader knew this. I’m not saying he was right to do what he did, but your actions here prove at least his intentions were not wrong.’

‘I’m not doing it for them,’ Ben said, marveling at her incomprehension of cause-and-effect.

‘Don’t play dumb,’ Maura sighed. ‘We all know why you pulled that trick when you were twelve and we know Han Solo is on this planet.’

‘You said so. Couldn’t you have given me a heads up?’ Ben scoffed. ‘Because I had no idea.’

‘So that girl you hid over there is just your new girlfriend?’ Maura nodded at the bushes where Rey was taking her involuntary nap. His stomach dropped. ‘I must say, I find your taste questionable. You do realise she’s the enemy, right?’

‘Still better than what you’ve got,’ Shyam interrupted. ‘You heard?’ he shook Ben, making him lose his foothold. ‘She’s been messing around with that Palloyu for months now, trying to keep it discreet but everyone knows by now.’

‘Ehw,’ Ben said despite the situation. ‘Getting desperate?’

‘You two are horrible,’ Maura shook her head. ‘Shyam, get him to the ship. I’ll go see what that girl knows.’

‘So?’ Grandfather spoke. ‘How are things going?’

‘Shut up,’ Ben hissed. He regained his foothold and kicked back, throwing Shyam over as he rolled and landed nicely on his feet. Shyam lay dazed on the ground. Not giving him a chance to recover, Ben grabbed the axe and tossed it away. Shyam grumbled and went to get it.

‘Touchy, aren’t we?’ Maura rolled her eyes. ‘Be reasonable. You’ve committed high treason. Yet, Supreme leader has chosen to give you a second chance.’

‘Which I will have to kindly decline. I know better ways to get screwed over,’ Ben took a good few steps back. Maura’s ability with the physical side of the Force was extraordinary. She could turn the cord she kept wrapped around her wrist into a staff or a whip at will. It was suited for everything from close- to long-range and if she was really pissed, she could turn it seething hot as well. The best strategy was getting out of range altogether.

He turned around to get Rey and make a run for it, but an axhandle planted into the ground before him ruined that party.

‘I prefer to keep this civilised,’ Shyam said, having returned from his ax-retrieving run. ‘But try anything like that again and you can guess where this ax will go.’

‘Back into the bushes?’ Ben said, taking out his lightsaber and inching away. 'But seriously, you being civilised is like water on Jakku. You don't see it a lot.'

‘That's not even funny. You're hitting Snips' level of lame humour,’ Shyam said. Ben wouldn’t know. Artoo never wanted to show him.

Something cracked above their heads. A rather large branch came tumbling down and found its way unto Shyam’s head, knocking him to the ground.

‘I’d suggest you run now,’ Grandfather said while Ben was still wondering what had just happened. ‘That won’t hold him down for long.’

Ben snapped out of it and ran for Rey’s napping spot. Before he could reach, something wrapped around his leg and dragged him to the ground. He could barely hold onto his lightsaber.

‘Really?’ Maura said, pulling the whip tight. ‘Dropping a branch on his head? I thought you ditched that childish behaviour after Luke tried to skewer you. Remember how your parents did nothing about that? You’re making a mistake doing this all for them.’

‘You know what I like about making mistakes?’ Ben snapped, throwing her a dirty look. That was a low blow and she knew it. ‘The freedom to do so.’

She froze in her place, unconsciously releasing the tension on the whip. He took the chance to free himself and get back to his feet, igniting his lightsaber. It wouldn’t cut through the material of the whip but it could reflect it.

Maura just stood there with a defeated look in her eyes. The unspoken implications hung between them. She hadn’t known freedom until he had freed her from the slavers her parents had sold her to when she was a few years old.

He bit his lip. That had even been a lower blow, but it would get her thinking. She might be thinking about punching them in the face, but she was definitely thinking.

‘He’s trying to bait you,’ Shyam struggled up, rubbing the spot the branch had hit. ‘Like he always does when he can’t win.’

‘I’m not,’ Ben said. ‘I’m just trying to make a point. Snoke’s turning your own ideals against you. It’s what he does.’

‘Enough,’ Maura bit, slamming her whip into the ground. Grass and dirt sprew up. ‘You don’t get a say in this. You either come with us or we’ll make you.’

‘I rest my case,’ Ben sighed. He Force-shoved Shyam a few feet away and focussed on Maura. Her long range was the immediate threat here. The whip came slamming down towards his chest. It was not a deadly blow but strong enough to have knocked him to the ground. He parried.

Metal clashed with the blade of his lightsaber. He was careful to watch her closely. She always had several surprises hidden up her sleeve. He rolled sideward to avoid a second hit and cursed under his breath when he got back up The bandages had caught unto something and unloosened further. A handful of blisters popped and the exposed skin stung. He swayed.

Maura didn’t hesitate. She lurched forward, turning the whip into a battle staff and ramming it into his shoulder. He fell to the ground, clutching his lightsaber.

For a second, he went blind with pain. When he regained his senses, Maura’s knee pressed into his chest. She took something out from under her cloak and, before he could get his muscles to work again, clicked it around his neck. He had a good idea of what it was. To test his hypothesis, he tried to shove her away with the Force. Nothing happened.

‘Wasn’t this thing meant for Skywalker?’ He tugged at the ancient, Mandalorian iron collar. The method of its creation was lost through the ages, but it had been treated in such a way that it was able to supress the use of the Force. They had recovered it years ago.

‘Nothing personal,’ Maura said. ‘Now give me your lightsaber. This game is over.’

Ben weighted the odds. He was pinned down and deprived of the Force. His lightsaber was his last chance but if he didn’t give it to her, she would take it and there would be no way to get it back. He moved as if to hand it to her but recoiled his arm at the last second and threw it away as far as he could. It disappeared off the hill.

‘Very mature,’ she looked up as if to decide what to do.

‘Leave it,’ Shyam said, pulling Rey out of her hiding spot. He held his hand above her head. ‘We’ll send someone to retrieve it later. Now, we must go. She has seen the map.’

‘Leave her out of this,’ Ben snapped. ‘This is between us.’

‘Supreme leader has ordered her captured,’ Maura reached under her cloak again, producing a pair of restraints, chain and all. There was nothing he could do as she Force-moved his wrists together, bound them and attached the chain to the collar.

‘Ironic,’ he remarked. ‘I remember breaking the chains off you.’

‘It’s nothing like that,’ she yanked him to his feet. ‘We’re trying to help you, for your own good.’

‘It seems I’ve got little _freedom_ in the matter,’ he countered.

Maura let out a sharp sigh. ‘You’ll thank us later.’

‘I doubt it,’ Ben said, rankling the chains in front of her face.

‘Hey, you happen to know where the droid is?,’ Shyam interrupted. ‘This one’s mind is hard to read. It will take a while to extract the intel.’

Ben hesitated. Rey was going to be a prisoner no matter what he’d do, but there was something he could do for everyone else here. ‘They knew you were coming and wiped the droid’s memory. You’ll get nothing from it.’

‘Great,’ Maura pressed her commlink. ‘Prepare for our ship for take-off. Ensure there’s a medic aboard. We’ve got more than we came for.’

‘She’ll have to do then,’ Shyam moved to lift Rey up.

‘Don’t touch her,’ Ben hissed.

‘How else would you suppose-,’ Shyam asked.

‘You know what Snoke will do to me, and to her,’ Ben said, trying one last time. ‘Just let us go.’

‘Have you been listening?’ Shyam shook his head. ‘Supreme leader won’t harm you.’

‘I’ll say this one more time,’ Ben said. ‘Snoke’s lying to you.’

‘Get that idea out of your head,’ Maura rolled her eyes. ‘Shyam, get her up.’

‘I’ll do it myself,’ Ben said, getting out of reach before Maura could stop him. The only thing he could do for Rey now was keeping her close in case an opportunity to escape came up.

‘Whatever,’ Shyam let him through. ‘One more thing though.’

‘What?’ Ben demanded. The answer came in the form of a sack pulled over his head, cutting off his sight and dampening his other senses.

‘Right this way,’ Shyam pushed him forward. This was going to have to be one hell of an escape.


	19. So close, yet so far

Solo was kriffing insane but alright. The old guy had gotten them out of that tunnel alive, so Finn wasn’t going to complain. He was, however, silently complaining about the fact that he had left his own blaster back on the floor in his haste to get out and find Rey. Going back for it wasn’t an option either. The tunnel collapsed the moment they had all gotten up the stairs.

The blue of the sky opened up above them. Finn’s jaw dropped. The castle was gone, just like that, reduced to heaps of rubble. Ships razed over the ruins and bombed it, as if determined to take down every last brick. Stormtroopers stomped around in the fields beyond, shooting down stragglers. A handful turned and came their way. Finn ducked for cover. He could’ve really used that blaster right about now.

Solo and Chewie shot down the incoming troopers and stormed off, leaving a trail of motionless troopers on the grass.

‘Rey and BB-8,’ Maz shouted over the noise of the battle, crouching behind the remains of a wall. ‘They need your help.’

That much had occurred to him as well. Rey was no push-over but no one could win from this and she was practically a walking target with a smaller, rolling target following her around. There was a little issue though. ‘I need a weapon.’

 Stormtroopers marched around, searching for stragglers. A handful came their way. Finn ducked for cover while Solo shot them down without really looking before storming off with Chewie in tow.

‘You’ve got one,’ Maz leaned over and grabbed his wrist. The metal tube still lay in it.

Finn closed his hand around it. He was pretty sure he knew what is was. Even if Kylo hadn’t been swinging one of these around for as long as he could remember, Finn had seen others like this plenty of times during the history lessons the First Order had forced on him. A lightsaber.

Naturally, no one had ever given him any instruction on how to wield it, but how hard could it be? Kylo had made it look like child’s play. Besides, there was a handy little button on the side.

Finn pointed the open side of the tube away from his face and pressed the button. As he had hoped, the beam erupted with a hiss. He made a practice swing. The weapon was surprisingly light, but seemed resistant to being brought into motion. The moment it came into motion, however, it seemed to move on its own, carving out its own path.

He moved the weapon to his side and broke out into a sprint. A stormtrooper was aiming for one of Maz’s patrons, a man who had stayed behind to fight up close.

Without thinking, Finn ran the laserblade through the trooper's armour, just a second too late. The patron collapsed unto the grass.

Finn withdrew the blade and the trooper fell down as well, a hole running through his back and out of his chest. The bitter irony of the situation occurred to Finn. They had made him kill after all. Out of self-defence and a soldier, not a civilian, still, a person lay dead in front of him. A person who could’ve been him if it had just been a few days earlier. Someone who never really had a choice.

The First Order destroyed every life it touched. Everyone he had met in the last couple of days had been killed or suffered otherwise because of them. He had wanted so desperately to just get away from it. To live his life. To maybe find his family. But now, he just couldn’t. He couldn’t leave Rey and BB-8 behind, not when they’re in this kind of danger, not when during those few days, they had become the closest thing to a family he had ever had. No more running, he was going to fight, to protect them.

He swirled on his feet and brought his weapon up when a familiar but unwelcome voice echoed over the field.

‘Traitor,’ Nines screamed,  tossing aside his blaster and whipping out a stun baton. They both stood and waited for the other to make a move. Had Nines just shot him, this fight would be over already. But no, Nines wanted to do this up close and personal.

‘Bring it on,’ Finn took the first step. He had never chosen to join the Order of Crazy in the first place. He wasn’t a traitor to anything but if Nines wanted a fight, he would get one.

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘Can I try that?’ Han asked, taking cover behind half a wall. The other half lay in pieces on the ground. Chewie handed him the bowcaster. He peeked around the wall and shot at the two troopers at the other side. His aim was a little off, because well, that thing was heavy. Still, the troopers flew a feet into the air and landed a yard from where they had been standing. ‘I like this thing.’

Rey was still nowhere to be found. They could only hope one of Maz’s people had picked her up and she was hiding somewhere safe. It might be time for them to do that as well. There was nothing left to defend here. The cantina was nothing but rubble. Almost anyone who hadn’t made it into these woods lay dead on the ground. Maz wasn’t going to forget this. The First Order had made a dangerous enemy today.

‘Hey,’ Chewie nudged him and pointed to the edge of the woods. ‘Someone could use some help over there.’

Han squinted his eyes. Half a dozen troopers were shooting at a treetop. The reason for their apparent random behaviour became clear when a blast came from the tree beside it, hitting a trooper full in the helmet. The remaining troopers turned their fire to the new tree while figure obscured by the leaves jumped to the next one, but one of the bucketheads seemed to be catching on this time. He aimed his fire to the sniper's new hiding spot. The rest followed his lead. The tree tilted to the side. A little more of that and it would be coming down, the sniper with it

Chewie wasn’t having it. He sprinted dead ahead and tossed half of the troopers aide while the rest scattered. Han took care of those before they could figure out what was happening.

When the last one was down, the sniper tried to climb down but the tree swayed and cracked. Han narrowed his eyes and hurried to take a closer look. He was pretty sure that was ‘Sana’. Good. She had a few questions to answer.

Chewie gestured for her to jump and caught her with ease when she did.

‘Good. There you are,’ she hopped to the ground and looked around, then frowned. ‘Where’s Ben?’

‘Excuse me?’ Han blinked. ‘What?’

‘Where is Ben?’ she repeated hesitantly, her mouth falling open.

‘That’s what I’d like to know,’ Han snapped, jabbing his finger at her. Warzone or not, this lady was going to tell him what she knew .‘start talking.’

‘Oh,’ she pressed her lips together and shook her head. ‘Seriously? At a time like this?’

‘Yes. Now,’ he said. The lady turned on her heels without another word and rushed away before Han could even do anything to stop her.

‘That was her?’ Chewie asked, as baffled as Han felt. Why was she running? ‘The one that told you about Ben.’

‘Yeah, let’s go get her,’ he scanned the field for Maz and Finn. His shoulders dropped when he saw Finn being pinned down by a trooper with a zappy stick. He was glad he only ever had one kid. Looking after three of them was turning out to be damn near impossible. ‘Or we’ll fix that first.’

He ran ahead, as fast as he could while still aiming the bowcaster and pulled the trigger without slowing down. The trooper fell down with a gaping hole in his chest plate.

Han handed the down-sized death machine back to Chewie and pulled Finn off the ground. ‘You okay, Big Deal?’

‘Thanks,’ Finn said, not really answering the question but seeming to be alright. Han patted him on the arm and nodded at the woods. The battle had nearly died down around them. Whether the First Order had simply given up or realised they were looking in the wrong place, he didn’t know, but they would have to find Rey right about now, either to simply all get out of her or to save her from being captured.

They didn’t get very far.

A bunch of troopers coming stomping out from behind a pile of debris and held them on gunpoint. One of them blabbered something into his commlink about targets and custody. Good news, they weren’t going to kill them right away. Bad news, they had been looking for them specifically. It was a questionable honour.

‘Hands above your head,’ one of the troopers demanded.  Han moved to do as told. It was better than having his head blown off. Chewie and Finn followed his example. They were led away through the cantina’s remains strewn out over the grass.

Somewhere halfway, the troopers started shouting into the commlinks and most of them just kind of left. Noise rose up from two sides. One coming from over the lake and the other from the woods.

Han brought his hands down and looked around. The last two troopers left behind to guard them didn’t seem to care. A sequence of explosions tore through the woods. Stormtroopers came flooding back unto the field in a panic. Maz’s people were fighting back.

Even better, ships approached over the water, the X-shaped wings clear through the mist. Relief washed over him.

‘It’s the resistance,’ he told Finn. The kid had probably never seen any real resistance in his life.

The X-wings reached with cannons blazing. Rubble and stormtroopers flew up. Say what you want about the First Order, they were always as considerate as to dress their soldiers up in shiny, impossible to miss, white armour. Han leaned back a bit as one of the guards was blasted down inches from his face. The other one met the same fate a few feet away.

‘Great,’ Han said. With no one left to stop them, they took back their weapons from the crumbled troopers. Finn sprinted to the woods, lightsaber ready. No one would’ve guessed he had been about to run away less than an hour ago.  

While Chewie went to find Maz, Han went to were the explosions had been. A dozen of Maz’s people were exchanging fire with retreating stormtroopers. In between, a cloaked figure twirled around a battle staff, deflecting the blasts back into the woods. He knew who she was, having seen her on footage the resistance had gathered. A knight of Ren.

With Ben out from under his control, Snoke had sent the next best thing. If Leia’s theory had been right, he might have actually seen her before, at Luke’s temple. Whatever had happened there that night, Ben hadn’t been the only one to walk away from it.

From the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a second knight among the retreating stormtroopers. His stomach dropped. They weren’t just retreating, they were escorting prisoners. Rey being one of them, lying unconscious in the arms of a guy with a sack over his head. The second knight forced them forward.

Han raced through the debris, keeping his head low in the hopes of approaching unseen. He reached up to a couple of feet away when he ran out of cover. The knight didn’t seem to be suspecting anything. He, the prisoners and a bunch of troopers stepped on the ramp of the largest ship on the field. Rey, although unconscious, was unrestrained. The guy carrying her, however, had a whole array of chains around his arms and neck. Now Han had gotten a better view, he was sure that was ‘Sana’s’ napping pal. Whatever ‘delicate situation’ that lady had been talking about, it had been serious enough to land the guy in this situation.

Han froze in his place when a suspicion crossed his mind. It couldn’t be. That would just be too much coincidence.

Maybe it was fatherly instinct, or maybe it was as simple as his brain connecting the dots, but at that moment he just knew. He stepped out from behind his cover and screamed from the top of his lungs.

‘Ben!’

He held his breath while the chained man- fully grown now-  turned and stared straight at him, taking a step in his direction. All those years of pain, loss, and grief disappeared. He sprinted ahead. If he would just reach in time, everything would be alright.

‘Ben!’ he shouted again, as loud as he could while running. Ben stumbled blindly towards the edge of the ramp, Rey still in his arms. Good. If they could get off the ramp, even by falling off it, Han could open fire without worrying about hitting them.

The knight turned around, took a step forward and struck Benn in the stomach with his fist. Han could only watch as Ben doubled over in pain and Rey fell unto the ramp.

‘Ben,’ he called while aiming his blaster to shoot that revolting piece of ax-maniac back to the hell it came from. Troopers were already dragging Ben and Rey away from him. He pulled the trigger as the maniac charged at him. The exact moment the shot left the blaster, a massive, but invisible weight rammed into him. The air was forced from his lungs when he hit the ground. The edges of his vision faded. The ramp closing up was the last thing he saw before everything went dark.

 

 

* * *

 

 

‘Are we there yet?’ Ben asked, purposely catching unto each root and rock he could find while blindly trudging ahead. The distant sound of blaster fire was his only clue to what was happening around them. Rey still lay motionless in his arms. He shook her a bit but she didn’t even stir.

‘Shut up,’ Maura said curtly, walking just ahead of him, probably the one tugging at the chains every few seconds. Shyam couldn’t be bothered to say anything, or maybe he had gone ahead.

Ben reached out for Grandfather’s presence- anyone’s presence really. He would even take Luke’s help if it meant getting out of this, but there was nothing, absolute nothingness. The Force itself- the only constant in his life- was beyond his reach.

‘What are you even shooting at?’ Ben tried to provoke a response. He had to get out of this by himself. He just needed to get a better fix in Maura’s exact position. ‘You already got what you came for.’

‘This place is a brooding nest for criminals,’ she scoffed. ‘We’re cleaning it out.’

The true meaning beneath those words was painfully obvious to him. _Criminals who sold their daughter into slavery. Criminals who enslaved a little girl because she was strong with the Force._

Almost two decades later, she was still fighting against those that could never again hurt her, and he had fed that fire in her, believing it to be pure bravery and strength. It was not, it was fear.

He bit his lip, thinking over the choice he had. Going with them was not an option. Convincing them to escape had failed. He had to leave them behind if he and Rey were going to get out of this relatively alive.

He held Rey flat against his chest and dropped forwards, almost as if he were tripping, and rolled over his shoulder. The chains rammed into the base of his spine before the tension behind them fell away and he landed on his feet. If he calculated correctly, Maura was far enough for him to shake off the sack and make a run for it. The chains were too bad, but being able to see wasn’t optional.

He leaned forward to ditch the sack, but before he could get anywhere with that, someone kicked him over. He barely managed to hold unto Rey. Shyam hadn’t gone ahead after all.

Before he could struggle back up, something clutched the front of his shirt and dragged him halfway up.

‘Stop making this worse for yourself,’ Maura hissed, shaking him.

‘Worse than it is already?’ Ben asked with feigned wonder. ‘Is that possible?’

‘Stop it,’ she said. ‘We’re trying to help you.’

‘By dragging me straight into a torture session?’ He tried to dial up the sarcasm but his voice broke.

‘No,’ Maura protested. ‘We-.’

‘Maura,’ Shyam stopped her. ‘I’ll talk to him.’

A few seconds of silence passed before Shyam put his hand on Ben’s shoulder and pushed him forward. Maura’s footsteps stomped ahead of them.

‘There’s no need to be afraid. You won’t be harmed,’ Shyam said. ‘Snoke had assured us of that.’

‘He’s lying,’ Ben muttered, trying to keep his voice steady.

‘We won’t let him hurt you, I promise you-,’ Shyam said. The promise was lost in a string of explosions. The sound of engines ripped through the air. Cannons fired and metal screeched. Shyam cursed.

‘We’re walking into an active warzone, aren’t we?’ Ben guessed. He considered digging his heels into the ground and staying in his spot, but he doubted the dead weight in his arms would appreciate getting blasted.

‘Shut up and hurry,’ Shyam snapped, shoving him ahead. Maura’s whip slashed through the air a few feet away. No one would be getting close.

‘So, they’re shooting back?’ Ben asked, trying to stand still after all. If he was going to escape, it was now or never. But he was chained, blindfolded and deprived from the Force.

Someone would have to help him now, or he would be delivered to Snoke’s non-existent mercy.

Would anyone even bother?

Brynda maybe, if she happened to see what was happening. But why would she risk it for someone she barely knew? Besides, she wouldn’t stand a chance. It would be better if she didn’t try.

Dad was still somewhere around here. A lump caught in his throat. Would Dad even still recognise him? Would he care? Would he at least come to free Rey?

‘Move it,’ Shyam gave him another shove. The grass under his feet made way for the hard metal of a ramp. A few more seconds and that would be it. As soon as he was aboard, there would be no more escape. Everything depended on these few seconds. After that, only Luke might have been able to help him and he had made his point of view quite clear.

‘Ben!’ a familiar voice roared.

Despite the blindfold, Ben turned his head towards the source and stumbled in that direction. He barely believed it.

‘Ben!’ Dad shouted again.

With his doubt vanishing, he tried to find the edge of the ramp. If he could just do that, it would be fine. He and Rey would be safe and far away from Snoke. He just had to get off the ramp. A bolt of pain shot through his gut, forcing him to his knees.

Rey fell from his arm. He coughed and retched, struggling back up.

‘Ben!’ Dad shouted once more, in a panic this time.

‘Get them inside,’ Shyam ordered someone. ‘I’ll take care of Solo.’

‘No,’ Ben screamed. ‘Don’t. Don’t you bloody dare.’ Something sharp, a needle, jabbed into his neck. The rapid beating of his own heart was the last thing he heard before his consciousness faded.


	20. The eye of the storm

‘All preparations have been made,’ Hux reported. ‘As soon as Ren is captured, the trial can commence.’

He couldn’t help the corners of his mouth twitching for just a second. Ren seemed to like having an audience while committing treason. The witnesses alone would’ve been enough to prove his crimes. Not that it would’ve made a difference anyway. If Snoke said Ren was guilty, he was guilty. Hux’s only job had been to make sure to provide evidence, and he plenty to work with. He only had to tweak some circumstantial evidence here and there to make it solid.

‘Has Han Solo been captured yet?’ Snoke asked.

‘The knights have not yet reported back,’ Hux said. ‘The last intel we’ve received stated they’ve met unexpected resistance.’

He could only guess what that meant. As far as he knew, the target was a barely inhabited planet, only frequented by petty criminals and drunks. What resistance they could’ve put up was beyond him. Perhaps, the local fauna hadn’t taken well to the knights.

‘Any progress in locating Ren?’ Snoke tilted his head.

‘Not yet,’ Hux said.

If Ren had some common sense, he would’ve fled to uncharted space by now and no one would ever hear or see from him again. Fortunately, Ren wasn’t known for his caution. He would make a mistake sooner or later. If not, the capture of his father should goad him out of hiding, or at least, Snoke seemed to think so. But why anyone would fall in so obvious a trap, went over Hux’s head.

‘And the data breach?’ Snoke asked, making no effort to hide his disdain.

Palloyu’s authorisation codes leaking turned out to be only a small part of a bigger picture. After closer analysation, a data breach reaching back at least three years had been discovered. Someone or something had been passing small pieces of intel to the resistance and other groups of insurgents. Shipping schedules, entrance codes, troop movements, and even personal leverage on officers had been leaked. Even worse, there were indications the breach originated from within his own crew.

A full investigation was being carried out. Whether it was a careless officer or a mole, the leak had to be eradicated.

Hux formed an answer, one Snoke wouldn’t be able to throw back in his face, but the doors opened before he could even open his mouth. He turned on his heels to see who thought they could just barge in without authorisation. Palloyu came stumbling in.

As one of the few conscripted men, he had been one of the first suspects of being the mole, but he had only joined two years ago, a year after the leaks had begun. Still, he wasn’t cleared from suspicion completely. The group of insurgents he had allowed to escape were the most frequent to have been privy to confidential intel. Although, Hux suspected it to be incompetence rather than such blatant sabotage. No one who could’ve remained hidden for so long would make such a clumsy error. Besides, Palloyu was the furthest thing from a mastermind.

‘Excuse the interruption,’ Palloyu saluted. ‘But I was instructed to inform you immediately if Kylo Ren was captured.’

‘He has been?’ Snoke leaned back in his throne.

Hux wasn’t sure whether to be surprised or not. He had expected Ren would slip up soon enough, but not this soon.

‘Lady Maura and lord Shyam brought him in,’ Palloyu reported. ‘He’s currently being treated for his wounds.’

So, Ren had indeed sought out his father. They had barely managed to locate the Solo themselves and somehow Ren had beaten them to it.

‘And the map?’ Snoke asked.

‘Destroyed by Han Solo,’ Palloyu said. ‘And Han Solo himself seemed to have escaped, but the girl traveling with him has been taken into custody. The knights believe they can extract the map from her mind.’

Hux couldn’t care less about the map. Having it destroyed was as good as retrieving it. As long as the resistance hadn’t gotten it, it was of no more concern to him. However, was once again brought into the position where he had to rely on the knight’s precious Force.

‘A small loss,’ Snoke bared his teeth. Just minutes ago, this news would’ve sent him into a rage, but now Ren was captured, Solo was of no importance and the map to Skywalker could wait. ‘Make the last preparations for the trial.’

‘Of course,’ Palloyu seemed to hesitate. ‘But I must relay a message from the medic-in-charge. She advises postponing the trial as she does not believe Ren is in any health to endure… the measures taken to ensure his cooperation.’

Those words had been the exact ones used in the preparation report. If this had been anyone else, Hux would’ve sworn it was sarcasm, but Palloyu didn’t have the spine to mock Snoke, or anyone else, to his face. And even if he had, Snoke would’ve sensed it and Palloyu would’ve been a decorative stain on the floor.

The medic-in-charge, Doctor Steela Gregor, Hux recalled. The offspring of a clone trooper, as she had claimed at her enlistment.

He already had the woman’s movements monitored and her possessions searched as she was under heavy suspicion herself, having joined right before the first data breached occurred and with no affirmation on her claimed background.

No methods of outside communications had been discovered, but trying to postpone Ren’s trial was exactly what an agent of Organa would do. He noted to have her watched more closely.

‘General,’ Snoke addressed him. ‘You’ve assured me your methods would be harmless.’

‘As per your instruction,’ Hux answered. ‘The method might be crude, but leaves no wounds.’

Nothing permanent, at least.

If it had been up to him, he wouldn’t have even bothered to have Ren wounds healed, but Snoke wanted him intact.

‘Then the trial shall proceed,’ Snoke said.

‘What trial?’

Hux jolted. Somehow, Maura Ren had made her way inside without a sound and was now standing beside him.

‘We weren’t informed of a trial.’

‘Can’t recall it either,’ Shyam Ren came sauntering in. The door closed behind him. Palloyu had made the careless mistake of leaving the door open. ‘If I may ask, what purpose does it serve? These conflicts have always been resolved behind closed doors. Why would this, in particular, require a trial?’

‘Your master’s insubordination, betrayal even, has not gone unnoticed,’ Snoke countered. ‘A display of justice is necessary to prevent unrest among the troops.’

‘A display of justice?’ Maura Ren cocked her head ‘How am I to see that?’

‘This trial is a necessity, child,’ Snoke said. ‘But not to worry, the sentence has already been determined. Execution has not even been considered. The trial is a simple formality to appease those who would object.’

Hux had to stop himself from scoffing out loud. If only the knights knew how true that was.

‘I could show them the details, Supreme leader,’ Palloyu pulled out his datapad without waiting for permission. Maura Ren tore it from his hands and scrolled through it. Her eyes narrowed further and further as she read.

‘You swore to me Kylo was not your slave,’ she finally spoke, with an edge to her voice. ‘Yet, here I read that you ordered to have him kept in chains and have him beaten. What am I supposed to make of that?’

‘The chains will only be necessary as long as he makes it so,’ Snoke said, his expression unreadable.

‘Truly?’ the girl raised an eyebrow. ‘And the torture instrument? What’s that for? You claimed to regret what had happened before, but your actions do not support that.’

‘As you can read,’ Hux interfered. ‘Selected to do as little harm as possible. Supreme leader was quite specific on that matter.’

Shyam Ren scoffed, twirling his ax around as if simply fidgeting with it, inactivated, but the threat was quite clear. ‘As little as possible would be none.’

‘Yes, of course,’ Snoke folded his hands. ‘As long as your master cooperates, he will not be harmed. It serves primarily as a warning. You are aware of his petulance. If allowed, he would make a joke out of this trial. It would near impossible to convince the troops to accept his return to the ranks.’

‘And the reconditioning?’ Maura Ren demanded, shoving the datapad back into Palloyu’s hands, who had been observing the discussion with a blank expression. ‘Is that also for show?’

‘I had hoped it might be that way,’ Snoke shook his head. ‘But tell me, dear child. Why was your master near Han Solo’s location?’

The girl hesitated. ‘Coincidence. Takodana is widely known as neutral ground. It would make sense for him to go there.’

‘Coincidence?’ Snoke sneered. ‘Truly, child? You, of all knights, should know better. He went to seek out his father and you know it. Do not try to deceive me.’

‘It is what he claimed,’ the girl countered. ‘I have no proof for or against that statement, so I will take him for his word. Honesty is a virtue he rarely lacked.’

Some might have called this insolence bravery. Hux saw it as it was, stupidity.

‘Well,’ Snoke narrowed his eyes. ‘I assume he returned willingly then.’

‘He did not,’ she looked at the floor. ‘He was… frantic. Irrational. Perhaps not in his right mind at the moment.’

‘And you cannot see how obviously this is Solo’s influence?’ Snoke bit. ‘Are you truly so blind? Or would you have me stand idly by while he heads for his downfall?’

‘No,’ the girl countered. ‘But-.’

‘But nothing,’ Snoke snapped. ‘You would see your master destroy himself, simply because you’re too weak to act. You would be responsible for his demise to ease your own conscience. This is the kind of weakness is what allowed you to be enslaved.’

The girl flinched back, but her eyes flashed with rage. Palloyu took a step forward, his face twisted into a scowl. It took but a second for them both to remember their place. The girl shifted her gaze to the floor and Palloyu took a step back, restoring his blank expression.

‘Forgive us,’ Shyam Ren stepped in. ‘We do not doubt your intentions. We simply have Kylo’s best interest in mind.’

‘As do I,’ Snoke snarled. ‘But you both seem to be following his poor example of letting your sentimentality, your weakness, control you. Now get out of my sight.’

‘Apologies, it will not happen again,’ he dragged his fellow knight away.

Hux was rather impressed by the entire show. He knew Snoke was lying, but otherwise, he would’ve almost believed some of that.

Palloyu looked around the room, apparently only now realising his presence was unwanted. He hurried after the knights.

‘Captain?’ Snoke stopped him.

Hux looked up in interest, wondering how his adjutant had merited Snoke’s attention if not by his utter incompetence.

Palloyu swirled around, white as snow.

‘You would do well to keep these matters to yourself in the future,’ Snoke said. ‘Regardless of your affections for Maura Ren.’

Both of the knights stopped dead in their tracks right before leaving the room. Maura Ren turned back and took her not-so-secret lover by the wrist, dragging him away in the same manner the other knight had just dragged her away.

Pure fury filled Hux as he watched them disappear. This had been no mere display of incompetence as he had grown used to, but sabotage.

‘General,’ Snoke called his attention. ‘If you still feel the need to dispose of anyone, dispose of that one.’

‘With pleasure.’

 

* * *

 

 

Han woke to growling and shouting. Chewie’s and Finn’s faces hung over him.

‘Where are they?’ he asked. His head pounded as he pushed himself up. The battle had ceased and Maz’s people were picking up the pieces. The First Order was long gone. ‘Ben? Rey?’

Finn stared with his mouth open, blinking a few times before answering. ‘They took Rey. The knights took her.’

Han struggled back to his feet, white dots jumping before his eyes. He had been too late. If they had taken Rey, then Ben had been taken as well. They had both slipped right through his fingers.

Chewie helped him up the last bit. ‘I tried to find that lady in the tree, but she was already gone.’

‘Funny story there,’ Han grumbled. That lady had been feeding him a load of crap while Ben had been sitting ten feet away, and Maz had just played along. If they had just told him, if he had just known…

Why had Ben been hiding anyway? Why hadn’t he just come for help?

‘Don’t tell me they’re your kids, too,’ Finn dropped his shoulders, then his eyes went wide. ‘Oh, sorry.’

They were going to have to do something about this language barrier.

‘No,’ Han let out half a chuckle, half a sigh. In the distance, a single transport landed on the field. Resistance, going by the fact none of the battle’s survivors were particularly bothered by it. ‘You go find BB-8 and get back to the Falcon. We’ll catch up with you.’

‘Wait,’ Finn protested. ‘Where are you going?’

‘Leia,’ Han pointed at the transport. ‘If she’s anywhere, it’s there.’

‘Makes sense, I think,’ Finn said. ‘But Rey, how are we going to get her back?’

‘Nothing we can do for her as it is,’ Han shook his head. ‘Problems we can do something about first.’

‘Easy when it’s not personal anymore, right?’ Finn countered, taking a step back before even finishing his sentence.

Chewie let out an impressive growl, but Han just ignored the retort and turned around. Finn didn’t know the entire story and even if he did, Han couldn’t blame him for losing his cool. The First Order wasn’t known for treating its prisoners with care and consideration.

‘What are we going to do?’ Chewie caught up with him. ‘We can’t leave Rey behind and we have to find Ben. Are we going to let Leia make the plans?’

‘Probably best,’ Han admitted. ‘But Ben was right here. They took him along with Rey.’

‘Uh?’ Chewie voiced Han’s thoughts over the past few hours perfectly.

‘Long story short, that tree lady knew about Ben, because Ben was sitting at her table.’

‘And you didn’t notice?’ Chewie raised an eyebrow.

‘It was crowded, alright,’ Han said. ‘And he had something over his head.’

‘Humans,’ Chewie shook his head.

The transport touched down right before they arrived. Han watched as people flooded out. He held his breath when Leia stepped out on the ramp.

She had changed, not much. But still, she had changed.

A small smile growing on her lip when she saw him. For a few moments, they just stood and looked at one another, the weight of lost time between them. Han opened his mouth to finally speak. This couldn’t wait.

Of course, that was the exact moment Treepio decided to bud in.

Han nodded curtly at him to beat it. This was going to be hard enough without Shiny Boy rattling off an entire sermon. Treepio huffed away, red arm and all that.

‘Han,’ Leia said, her smile fading into concern.

He took a deep breath, trying to find the words. The words to tell her he had lost their son all over again when he had been so close. ‘You’ve changed your hair,’ he said instead, stalling.

‘Still the same jacket,’ she remarked, the corner of her mouth twitching.

‘No, new jacket,’ Han cleared his throat. He tried to speak- to just get it over with- but the words caught in his throat.

Chewie gave him a little reprise by scooping Leia into a hug.

‘I’m going to see a doctor for this hole,’ Chewie tapped his wound and headed inside.

‘Yeah,’ Han bit his lip. ‘Leia, uhm, I saw him. He was here.’

‘Ben?’ she looked down, rubbing her chin. ‘So this is where he went?’

‘You knew?’ Han asked, already knowing the answer. Of course, she did. The leaders of resistance movements tended to know when major players of the other side defected.

‘One of my pilots told me,’ she nodded, radiating that same silent sadness she had been carrying ever since they sent Ben away.

‘They took him,’ he said.

She pressed her eyes shut, covering her mouth.

Not for the first time, it occurred to him how much harder this had to be on her than on him. He had managed to stay relatively out of it. Still, his chest ached every time he was reminded Ben had chosen to follow in the footsteps of Darth Vader. A man both he and Leia had despised. Leia’s birth father.

But if Luke had managed to bring the good out of someone like that, then surely Ben wasn’t beyond saving. Ben had been angry, explosive even, as a child, but also kind and caring. He wasn’t born evil.

But then again, neither had Darth Vader been. Leia had never wanted to have anything to do with it, so Han had done some research in case she ever did want to know. Admittedly, that research had mostly been asking Luke and watching some holonet recordings from the Clone Wars, but fair enough. It was the thought that had counted.

Even as mostly an outsider to the story, he had trouble understanding how Anakin Skywalker- the guy who had paraded his padawan around on his shoulder after a victory while the girl whacked him on the head- could be Darth Vader, the guy who had tortured people for no particular reason.

Anakin Skywalker had been a pissy kriffer, but no monster. Darth Vader was a monster, plain and simple. And somehow, it was the same person.

Han wondered if, while Leia had been pregnant, he had been forced to choose between her and a government with the habit of screwing over him and everyone else, but him in particular, what he would’ve done. He didn’t know.

_Had Ben been faced with a choice like that?_

But it had been everything Darth Vader did after that that had made no sense. Why throw everything away to save your wife, only to throttle her a day later? Why become the emperor’s personal monster?

 _The trap of the dark side,_ Luke had called it. Something that feeds on someone’s pain and lured them in bit by bit, leaving them as only a shadow of themselves. Han had seen it as Luke’s way of coping, but the thought that something like that had happened to Ben chilled him to his core.

Another thought crossed his mind, one he had mulled over and over in the past years. He and Leia had sent him away. Luke had had his doubts about Ben, didn’t truly trust him, and Ben wasn’t dumb.

_What if Ben had turned to Darth Vader’s memory because it was the only family that had never hurt him?_

He recalled how Ben had reached for him while on that ramp even while chained and blindfolded. Fear and desperation in his every movement. That had been his son. Ben wasn’t gone. His kid needed him.

‘We’ll get him back, Leia,’ he said. ‘We’ll find him.’

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘Hit that button, would you?’ Solo gestured vaguely at the control panel while messing with some switches in the back wall.

Finn pressed the button closest to where Solo had been pointing, hoping it was the right one. Solo had returned to the Falcon alone and absentminded. Chewie had gone off somewhere to get patched up.

Thus, Finn was now the co-pilot. An occupation he had never before even considered. He had just gotten the hang of operating cannons. A little longer and he would be able to fly a ship all by himself.

BB-8 poked his head out from behind the seat. Finn had found him wandering alone through the woods. The little guy had beeped something Finn couldn’t understand, but he could guess. BB-8 hadn’t made a sound since he had told him what had happened to Rey.

Solo dropped back in the pilot’s seat and flipped a switch. The Falcon screeched.

For a second, Finn was convinced he had screwed up and made the galaxy’s most famous rustbucket explode by pushing the wrong button. Then, he realised that was just the hyperdrive activating.

‘Alright, Big Deal,’ Solo said as hyperspace opened up around them. ‘Tell me what happened on Jakku.’

‘The crash, you mean?’ Finn asked, unsure why he was bringing it up now. He had asked after his son right after waking up, but Finn hadn’t thought much of it. Solo had been tossed through the air. Confusion was a normal consequence.

‘Yeah,’ Han nodded. ‘Are you sure you’re the only one who walked away from it?’

‘Yes,’ Finn said. ‘The ship sunk away in the sand. No one could’ve gotten out of that.’

Was Solo going in denial? Was that a good or a bad thing?

‘You got out,’ Solo noted.

‘I got jettisoned,’ Finn explained. ‘Landed just outside the ship. The others were still inside.’

‘And you’re 100% sure of that?’ Han raised an eyebrow.

‘Yes,’ Finn repeated. ‘Ky-,’ he stopped himself. Solo wouldn’t appreciate hearing that name. ‘Ben wasn’t even in a chair. He just showed up out of nowhere and scared the kriff out of us.’

Solo shook his head, laughing. ‘So he still does that?’

Finn didn’t have the heart to point out the present tense didn’t apply anymore.

The entire Falcon shook and shuddered. A massive docking bay opened up below them. Several dozens of X-wings were lined up.

People were running around as if their lives depended on it. Considering, the First Order had just wiped out a system, that was probably the case.

Han stayed silent as he landed the Falcon, but as soon as the ship touched down, he jumped from his chair and left. Finn watched as he hurried out of the cockpit. He had gotten used to having nothing explained to him.’

BB-8 bumped into his chair, beeping and whirring.

‘Yeah, yeah,’ Finn got up and headed out, BB-8 rolling circles around his legs.

He had to save Rey, but how?

They’d probably bring her to Starkiller base. It was intended to become the main base of operation after its first activation, but that place was guarded better than Snoke’s treasure chest. He needed help, badly.

‘Hey, knock it off,’ he said the third time he nearly tripped over the hyperactive ball. BB-8 whirred and dropped his head, following behind from a distance. But they had barely made it to the ramp when the little guy went back to his antics and rammed into his leg, zooming off to annoy one of the pilots climbing out of the fighters.

Finn’s heart skipped a beat when he saw the pilot crouch down and throw away his helmet. He blinked, making sure his eyes weren’t tricking him.

Straight up ahead, Poe was alive and well, smiling and rubbing BB-8’s belly.

‘Poe?’ he called out, already running. ‘Poe Dameron?’

‘Finn?’ Poe jumped up, his smile growing. He came to meet him in the middle.

Finn wasn’t sure who had initiated it, but they ended up in a hug. A weight fell f his shoulders. For just a moment, all the tension left his body.

‘You’re alive,’ he said after they let go and Poe was patting his arms as if to assure himself he wasn’t just seeing things.

‘So are you,’ Poe’s eyes shone as he looked up and down.

‘What happened to you?’ Finn asked, recounting everything he had seen. How could he have missed this?

‘What happened?’ Poe blurted. ‘I woke up in the middle of nowhere. You were gone. The ship was gone.’ He stopped and turned his smile to BB-8 who had popped up and was beeping something. ‘He said you saved him.’

‘No, no. It wasn’t just me,’ Finn said. It had mostly been Rey. Without her, he might have never even found BB-8, and he most definitely wouldn’t have gotten away from the hellfire the First Order had rained down on Jakku. And even then, he had been about to run away from it all if it hadn’t been for Rey.

‘You completed my mission for me,’ Poe said, his mouth falling open. ‘Is that my jacket.’

‘Oh yeah,’ Finn shrugged it off. At first, he had kept it t ward off the sun. Later, he had kept it because it had belonged to the man who had cared enough to give him a name. Someone he wanted to remember even if he had only known him for a few hours. But Poe was standing right in front of him.

‘No,’ Poe stopped him. ‘Keep it. It suits you.’

Finn put it back on, smiling a bit himself. Now, BB-8 would have no excuse to electrocute him anymore.

Poe’s smile grew brighter in response. ‘You’re a good man, Finn.’

He felt an ache in his throat. That wasn’t true, not yet. He had to make something right before he could claim to be, but he couldn’t do it on his own.

‘Poe. I need your help.’

 


	21. Back into the rabbit hole

Poe pushed a way through the officers gathered around Leia, Finn on his heels.

Everything had gone to hell since he was back. The intel they’d snatched back on Jakku had reached just fine, but it had been wrong. At the coordinates, the reconnaissance pilots found only an ambush. Poe had been lucky Leia had side-lined him because of his arm or his remains would be floating through outer space.

Having nothing else to go on, the resistance had focussed on evacuating the Hosnian system, but few had even believed them.

_A weapon that can destroy a system, yeah sure._

A few hundred had made it out alive, but billions had gone down with the system.

One of the survivors, a young senator who had insisted on joining the resistance, was currently talking to Leia.

‘General Organa,’ Poe called.

Leia looked up, said one last thing to the senator, who nodded and left, and came their way.

‘I’m sorry to interrupt,’ Poe continued. ‘This is Finn. He needs to talk to you.’

‘And I need to talk to you,’ she took Finn’s hand. ‘That was incredibly brave what you did. Renouncing the First order. Saving this man’s life. Saving my son’s life.’

Poe perked up on Finn’s behalf. He had made sure to put every detail of Finn’s feats into the report. Believing him to have died, he had wanted Finn to be remembered.

Finn, on the other hand, shuffled in his spot. ‘Uh, well, yes. Thanks, ma’am.’ He stopped to regain his composure. ‘A friend of mine was taken prisoner.’

‘Han told me about the girl,’ Leia nodded. ‘I’m sorry.’

Poe felt for the poor girl. She had helped get BB-8 to safety and, for her troubles, she’d been captured. By the Knights of Ren, no less.

‘Finn’s familiar with the weapon that destroyed the Hosnian system,’ he said. Finn was pinning his hopes on saving the girl along with destroying the weapon. Poe doubted it was going to be that easy, but it was worth a try. ‘He worked on the base.’

‘We’re desperate for anything you can tell us,’ Leia said.

‘That’s where they’ll have taken my friend,’ Finn said. ‘I’ve got to get there, fast.’

‘We will do everything we can to help you,’ Leia assured him. ‘But we need to know where it is. The coordinates we received didn’t check out. Would you know anything about this?’

Poe was sure Leia meant what she said; she would do what she could to free this girl, but everyone knew there was little chance of getting anyone back from the First Order, especially with that weapon out there, and Finn would know this.

‘That’s because it moves,’ Finn nodded. ‘Once they’ve drained one star, it needs to go to the next.’

Poe dropped his head. Of course. One sun, one shot.

When they’d discovered the data breach, they’d just moved the entire thing. How did you even move an entire planet?

‘Do you know where they could’ve moved it?’ Leia asked.

‘The star has to be around the same size, too small and there won’t be enough energy, too big and the weapon can’t process it,’ Finn knitted his brow in concentration. ‘Also, it’s can’t jump to hyperspace and it’s slow. Slower than most ships.’

The officers rushed into motion, taking notes, making calculations, or just running off entirely.

‘Admiral,’ Leia turned to Admiral Ackbar. ‘Relay that to the senator.’

‘The senator,’ Poe blinked. ‘Why her?’

‘She has ways of gathering intel that would go over the heads of most,’ Leia frowned. ‘But it has been reliable so far. If we can match the data with hers, we should get somewhere.’

Poe considered asking for clarification, but the ‘over the heads of most’ part probably included his head. Besides, in this occupation, the less you knew the better.

BB-8 poked his head out from under the table. ‘Map, map, map, map, map.’

It had almost slipped Poe’s mind in all the commotion, but his little buddy still had the map that had started all of this fuss.

‘Oh my,’ Threepio appeared from the dwindling crowd. ‘Forgive me, General, but it seems I’ve nearly forgotten.’

‘Map,’ BB-8 blurted, louder, and held out the chip.

‘There’s is no need to shout. So unpleasant,’ Threepio took the chip and inserted into the nearest computer. A holomap lit up.

BB-8 zoomed off, disappearing around a corner. In the meantime, Threepio rattled of a monologue that came down to _We’ve got nothing, the map’s incomplete._

Great. Just their karking luck.

‘I can’t believe I was foolish enough to think I could just find Luke and bring him home,’ Leia sighed.

To be honest, Poe had hoped it would be just that easy. Bringing Luke Skywalker into the game would’ve ended this war quickly. But for Leia, it had to be worse. Her brother, her son, there seemed to be a curse on her bloodline.

‘Leia,’ her husband popped up from the crowd, which dissolved spontaneously. No matter what war you were in, no one wanted to get involved in someone else’s marital issues. Poe stuck around for support. Finn stuck around too, but probably because he didn’t know where else to go.

‘Don’t,’ Leia held up a hand and turned to Finn. ‘Do you have any idea where they would’ve taken Ben?’

Finn took a deep breath. ‘I’m really sorry for your loss, but-.’

‘He isn’t dead,’ Solo interrupted him.

Poe blinked, vaguely understanding what was going on. They had assumed Finn had died. Finn assuming the same thing on his end would be nothing weird, but Poe had thought, since he had survived, Finn would fill in the blanks himself. Guess not.

‘Listen, Solo,’ Finn said. ‘I’m really sorry, but I know what I saw. There’s no way your son made it out of that crash alive. Just ask Poe. He was- oh.’

‘Yeah,’ Poe waved. ‘Not dead.’

‘Bu- but you were in a chair,’ Fin protested. ‘You could’ve gotten jettisoned.’

‘I was,’ Poe nodded. ‘And Ben was laying around in the sand three feet away. Whining, but alive.’

Finn’s face fell. He threw a quick glance at Solo, looking as if he would’ve liked to sink through the floor. ‘But he was sitting on the floor. How did he.. oh wait, the Force.’

Poe had wondered the same thing and had come to the same conclusion.

‘Thanks a lot, Big Deal,’ Solo scoffed.

‘Sorry,’ Finn looked at his feet.

‘Why was he on the floor?’ Leia asked.

‘He did that thing where he pops up and scares the kriff out of everyone,’ Poe explained. It had, combined with all the other stuff, driven their piloting instructor to a near mental breakdown.

‘Yeah, like, no offense,’ Finn said. ‘But your kid’s kind of a jerk. I swear he wears that mask just to laugh at people without anyone noticing.’

Leia chuckled. ‘He would.’

‘But when was he captured?’ Finn asked. Now he mentioned it, that was a good question. Leia hadn’t said anything about it.

‘You were looking at it,’ Solo snapped. ‘They took him along with Rey.’

‘Oh,’ Finn nodded. ‘That other guy, the one with the chains. That was him?’

‘Catching up, are we?’ Solo scoffed.

‘I said I was sorry,’ Finn countered.

So, on Takodana? Poe doubted it had been Ben’s idea to go there, but not-Kina was exactly the type to go there.

‘Was there a woman with him?’ he asked. ‘They were together the last time I saw them.’

Solo made a face. ‘Let me guess, dark hair, nose like this,’ he draw a zigzag line in the air. ‘Good at shooting things and creative with the truth.’

‘Definitely her,’ Poe said. ‘Where is she now?’

‘Not a clue,’ Solo scowled. ‘But if you find her, you bring her to me, got it?’

‘Sure,’ Poe pressed his lips together. He didn’t know what not-Kina had done to tick off Solo, but it must’ve been amusing. ‘But Finn, what’d you think?’

‘They would’ve taken him straight to Snoke,’ Finn said. ‘That’s what always happens when… when something goes wrong.’

‘That’s not good,’ Poe remarked. ‘They messed him up pretty badly last time, and he didn’t even do anything. He sure as hell hasn’t made any friends over there in the meantime.’

It wasn’t even just that. Ben had said plenty of things that had been iffy. He’d damn well been defending what they’d done to him, broken down when he couldn’t and pretended nothing had happened three seconds later. Whatever they’d done to him, it had gotten to his head.

‘Yeah,’ Finn said. ‘That wasn’t pretty.’

‘You knew about that?’ Poe threw up his hands. ‘Why did no one tell me? I’d like to know these things beforehand. I had to drag him halfway through the desert.’

‘We were too busy crashing,’ Finn noted. Poe shrugged. That was a fair point.

‘Leia?’ Solo asked. ‘you think you can work with that?’

Leia rubbed her chin. ‘There’s something. I can’t say for sure. It’s unconventional, but it could work.’

‘Well,’ Solo crossed his arms. ‘It’s a start. Let’s get to it.’

‘I will,’ she put a hand on his arm. ‘You wait here.’

Solo looked as if he wanted to argue, but Leia turned away before he could open his mouth.

Poe was both impressed and worried about how well she was holding it together. How did she manage that? Was she even managing it, or did she just pretend?’

 

* * *

 

 

Leia calmed her breath and opened the door. Not even a day ago, she’d promised herself he would’ve nothing to do with it. The intel had checked out so far, had helped save lives, but had she known from the start what the scheme had entailed, she wouldn’t have accepted it. If it had just been her life on the line, she still wouldn’t have.

Inside the unused office, the young senator sat cross-legged on top of the desk with a piece of paper in front of her. She had requested privacy while contacting her ‘sources’. Seeing it, Leia understood why.

‘And you’re sure about this?’ The girl asked of apparently no one. ‘I’ll pass it along then.’ She scribbled something down. ‘What do you mean? Look up?’

Leia cleared her throat, having the first chance to calmly look at the girl whose birth she’d assisted in all those years ago.

_Padme Tano._

Named for her and Luke’s birth mother. Leia wondered if Ahsoka had sensed something, a similarity, that had prompted her to give her child that name.

The girl was, without doubt, a dedicated advocate for democracy. Not a day had passed and she’d already sworn to help rebuild the republic.

‘Oh, General,’ she perked up. ‘I did not see you there.’

She was a grown woman now, but Leia remembered the day Ahsoka, one of the Fulcrum of the rebellion, had shown up at her door, one child on her hip and about to go into labour, giving birth to two more.

The children’s father had been presumed dead shortly after, killed in a botched up- or perhaps sabotaged attempt- to reverse the rapid aging engineered into the clones.

The first wave of the treatment- frozen in stasis while the aging genes were removed from their cells- had seemed to be successful. Then the second wave had gone in, including the girls’ father. Shortly after, the first wave had come out all dead, and the Kaminoans had used it as an excuse to keep the rest frozen in.

It had taken Leia five years of advocating before the clones were released into the care of republic scientists.

Thousands had gone in and only a few dozen could be recovered. Even though those few could now surpass the human life expectancy due to their enhanced immune system and physiology, none had counted themselves lucky. Too many of their brothers had been lost.

At least, the girls’ father had been among the survivors. Last Leia had heard, he was a resistance cell along with his eldest daughter.

‘I didn’t mean to startle you,’ Leia looked at the paper. ‘Are those the coordinates?’

‘A guess,’ Padme said. ‘It’s what Steela could gather from what we know.’

Steela, the other twin and the provider of the intel.

Leia typed the coordinates into her commlink and sent them to Admiral Ackbar. A reconnaissance flight would’ve been necessary anyway, more so than usual. It wasn’t the girls she didn’t trust, it was the messenger.

Padme’s eyes darted to the empty space she’d been talking to. ‘You can’t see him, can you?’

‘Nor do I want to,’ Leia said. She had seen him one time, almost thirty years ago, and that had been enough.

‘Ah,’ Padme laughed. ‘Now he looks sad.’

So carefree. Either this one had the nerves of a Jedi knight and a clone trooper combined, or she had heard one too many stories about Anakin Skywalker before his fall.

Leia had known Ahsoka had once been a Jedi, perhaps the last survivor of the old order by now, but the revelation she made after the birth of the twins, had been a shock. _Anakin Skywalker Padawan. Darth Vader’s padawan._

She had told Ahsoka she and the children could stay as long as needed, but she wanted to know nothing of it.

_But you’re his daughter, are you not? That’s what I came here for, to find answers about what happened back then. But it seems my timing was a bit off._

Leia had told her to never bring it up again, and she hadn’t until Leia had come with questions of her own, after Ben had fallen and Luke had disappeared Nowadays, no one knew where she was, in hiding from the First Order.

‘But you came here to ask something?’ Padme noted.

‘Yes,’ Leia hesitated.

She recalled the little lie she had old Han earlier. _One of my pilots told me._

Technically, that was true. Poe had told her, but she had already known in parts what had been going on.

_The daughter of Darth Vader’s padawan told Darth Vader, who told his padawan’s other daughter, who told me._ That would’ve been an accurate description, and Han might’ve blown a fuse. She almost had.

‘Ben’s alive,’ Padme said, likely only passing on the message. ‘He’s currently on Starkiller base, but Steela has several plans to free him. She will have to anticipate which one is best, but he will be free by the end of the week. Quite possibly without jeopardising Steela’s cover.’

‘Did they harm him?’ Leia asked. _More than they did already?_

‘Not as of yet,’ Padme frowned. ‘But there will be a trial, or rather a farce. They will guide him through it the best they can, and Snoke wants him alive and with his strength intact.’

Leia rubbed her temples. It was better than she could’ve hoped. Ben could be back home within days. Still, she got the implication. He might still be harmed before they could free him.

‘He says he has to go now,’ Padme said. ‘He’s needed there.’

Leia understood the implication of that as well. She had made it clear the one time she had seen him that she wanted him nowhere near Ben, but she had a good idea why Padme hadn’t been able to make contact after and while the weapon was firing. It seemed he had been watching over Ben after all.  Leia wondered for how long, but that was a concern for another time. ‘And we need to destroy that weapon.’

‘He said something about that before you came in,’ Padme said. ‘He was a bit vague though.’

Leia blinked. ‘What did he say?’

‘That we need to stuff the exhaust port, Deathstar-style.’

 

* * *

 

 

 

_Nasty, little monster, just like us._

The clawed, twisted creatures danced against the darkness, singing that awful song again.

_Ugly, little monster, just like us._

‘Leave me alone,’ Ben bit at them. They just laughed and sneered, dancing in circles. Until a searing white light lit up, drowning out the dark and swallowing the monsters whole.

He forced his eyes open. It was just a dream, no, a vision sent by Snoke to taunt him. It might’ve worked when he was a child, but not anymore. He had seen worse.

He sat up, finding his hands were still bound. Cold metal surrounded him, a dimly lit cell.

‘Easy,’ a medic stood over him. He recognised her; the medic he usually got sent to when injured, Gregor if he recalled. That had been more often he cared to admit. ‘I’m going to ask you some question to test your awareness. What’s your name?’

That sounded like a trick question. ‘Piss off.’

‘Good enough,’ she noted it down on a datapad.

While she spoke, her canines, or rather, fangs gleamed. A bunch of stormtroopers had once made a bet to knock her cap off to see whether she had hair. Those troopers had found out she was as skilled at inflicting damage as she was at healing it.

While most didn’t actually care what species she was- she did her work and she did it well- some of the older officers took offense at the possibility of being treated by a non-human. Ben had had the urge to ask them if they knew what species Snoke was.

‘I healed your injuries, the well-known burns, some scratches, and a few contusions. The scarring will remain though. Too much time has passed.’

Only then, he fully registered the pain was gone. He rolled his shoulders. The skin was stiff but didn’t stretch or tear.

‘Will that be all?’ a second voice asked. Ben groaned when he saw Hux’s errand boy lean against the wall.

‘Yes,’ Dr.Gregor stuffed away her datapad and headed out. She stopped to glare at Palloyu. ‘Don’t make my job any harder, please.’

‘Do I ever?’ Palloyu kicked off the wall. The doctor shook her head and left.

Ben braced himself for a fight. If Hux thought this guy was going to intimidate him, he would be in for a surprise. He could take this bootlicker even with his hands bound. What did Maura see in him anyway? ‘What do you want?’

‘To toss Hux off a cliff,’ Palloyu said, scowling.

Ben had to do a double-take. He could relate, but he hadn’t seen it coming form this guy. ‘I’d help, but you know,’ he rankled the chains.

‘You’re tied up?’ Palloyu raised an eyebrow. He took something from his pocket and held out his hand. A small capsule lay on his palm. ‘You might want to take this.’

‘What’s that? Poison?’ Ben asked. ‘Definitely something Hux would do.’

‘Oh yeah,’ Palloyu nodded. ‘He’s a flying shitmagnet in a sewer.’

Ben snorted. He might have seriously misjudged this guy. ‘I thought it had escaped your notice, with all the sucking up you do.’

‘Occupational hazard,’ Palloyu grimaced. ‘But this is a painkiller. Believe me, you’re going to need it. They’ve got a few surprises planned for you.’

Ben took the capsule. ‘Did Maura put you up to this?’ He didn’t wait for the answer. Even if Palloyu was tricking him, poison would be the better alternative.’

‘Yeah, I’m doing this for her,’ his jaw dropped. ‘But, uh, you should, just as a suggestion, not believe everything anyone tells you.’

‘You’re Hux’s errand boy, right?’ Ben asked.

‘Not for much longer,’ Palloyu shrugged.

Ben frowned. ‘But you know what they’ve got planned, right? How bad is it going to be?’

Palloyu whistled. ‘I’ll give it to you straight. You’re fucked. Utterly, tremendously fucked. It’s like you redefined the concept. They want you alive and in one piece but that’s about it. Also, your trial is going to start in half an hour.’

‘A trial?’ Ben blinked. ‘They have those now?’

‘They’ve got a farce that had to pass for a trial.’ Palloyu crossed his arms. ‘Supreme leader Fugly and General Sux gave a big speech that boiled down to “don’t worry, it’s rigged” and I had to pretend I didn’t want to dance in their karking graves.’

Ben was deeply impressed by how much anger this guy must’ve been holding in. ‘Why a trial? What’s the point of that?’

‘Public violence,’ Palloyu said dryly. ‘They want to make an example out of you without killing you, so they got creative. Lovely, ain’t it.’

‘How creative exactly?’ Ben asked. ‘I suppose they’re not going to bore me to tears.’

‘Nope,’ Palloyu shook his head. ‘They’re just going to beat you every time you say something they don’t want to hear.’

‘What’s new?’

Palloyu looked more than a little alarmed. ‘Remember, this thing is rigged. You can’t win it, so try not to diss Hux. I get the urge, but things won’t things won’t get any prettier.’

‘What’s the verdict?’

‘Reconditioning, under Snoke’s personal supervision,’ Palloyu said.

‘That’s just a fancy word for torture,’ Ben pointed out. But then again, that was probably the point. Him having redefined the concept of being fucked had been an understatement.

‘Yeah,’ Palloyu nodded uneasily. ‘But I have to go. They’ve probably noticed I’m gone by now.’ He glanced over his shoulder before walking out. Pity dripped from his expression.

Ben leaned unto his knees. He had thought, for just a little while, that things might turn out alright, that he would find a way to deal with the nightmares and be free from Snoke. Now, that hope was gone, all because he had been too afraid to face his father.

He was going to be the highlight of one of Snoke’s political shows. Statistically speaking, that was a lousy position.

Then he recalled something Mom had once said. _Some battles are best fought with words as your weapon._

A smirk grew on his lips. If Snoke and Hux wanted to play at constitutionality, they’d better come prepared.

‘I’d say things have gone sideways by now.’

Ben looked up to see Grandfather materialise. Although, materialise wasn’t the right word. He appeared as he had the first time. A shaky hologram rather than a solid person.

‘I’d say so too. How are you here? The Mandalorian iron.’

‘It blocked my connection to you, yes,’ Grandfather nodded, then frowned. ‘Why were you smiling?’

‘I just remembered something,’ Ben said. _I have a few more grandparents to draw inspiration from._ ‘You happen to have any idea on how to get out of here?’

‘Patience,’ he said, as unhelpful as ever. ‘Your parents are looking for you.’

‘Dad,’ Ben recalled, panic rising up. ‘Is he alright?’

‘Yes,’ Grandfather nodded. ‘He’s unharmed and has returned to your mother’s side.’

Ben let go of the breath he hadn’t noticed he’d been holding in. ‘Can you contact Mom? Tell her where I am?’

‘I’m afraid not,’ Grandfather shook his head. ‘Consciously or not, Leia has been blocking out my presence. But you won’t be here for long. I can’t tell you the details yet, but that much I can promise.’

‘How do you know?’ Ben asked, tugging at the metal collar. That thing was a pain. Without it, he would’ve blasted his way out of here. ‘Can you get this thing off me? I’ll figure it out from there. I mean, dropping branches was no problem.’

Grandfather closed his eyes and sighed. ‘I could only do that through my connection to you. I cannot touch the physical realm as long as it’s weakened.’

‘Oh,’ Ben dropped his shoulder. From what he knew, that made sense. He also knew his ability to perceive the dead depended on his connection to the Force, which was as good as broken at the moment.

‘Don’t worry,’ Grandfather pressed a hand to his cheek. He should’ve felt the touch, but he didn’t. It hit him how utterly alone he was in this.

‘How much longer can you bypass the iron?’

_How long before you disappear again._

‘I’m not,’ Grandfather said. ‘Haven’t you noticed? It’s cracked.’

Ben patted down the metal. Sure enough, at the base of his neck, a fissure ran halfway down the metal. ‘How is that possible?’

‘You’ll know soon enough,’ Grandfather said. ‘But until then, remember I’ll be right there with you, even if you can’t see me.’ He paused a second before adding. ‘Don’t let anyone twist your perceptions, and don’t let them feed your fears.’

‘Anything specific on that?’ Ben deadpanned.

Grandfather took it seriously. ‘You’re asking the wrong person, but, yeah, first of all, if you have to convince yourself you’re doing the right thing, you’re probably not. Think for yourself, trust your instinct, and, well, don’t trust creepy, old men.’

Okay, maybe not that seriously.

Ben thought of a joke of his own. ‘I think it’s unconscious. Mom ignoring you, I mean.’

‘How so?’

‘Because if she had the chance to shout at you, she would have,’ he said.

Grandfather chuckled. ‘She did once, decades ago.’

At that exact moment, the doors slid open. Grandfather vanished as suddenly as he had come. Shyam bursted in.

‘Let me guess,’ Ben got up. There would be no point in struggling. Besides, he was going to make Snoke eat his little farce. ‘Show’s about to start?’

Shyam tilted his head, his face hidden. ‘We didn’t know. We tried to stop it, but Snoke. He lied to us.’

‘How would’ve thought?’ Ben raised an eyebrow.

Shyam put a hand on his shoulder and led him out of the cell. ‘Just tell them what they want to hear. Everything will go back to normal.’

‘Keep telling yourself that,’ Ben scoffed.

Shyam sighed. ‘Kylo, I’m sorry.’

‘Whatever,’ Ben shrugged Shyam’s hand off his shoulder. ‘Let’s just get this over with.’


	22. Trials

Han jumped off his chair when Leia came back. Her brow was knitted in frustration. That was never good. ‘So, what you’ve got?’

Leia let out a sigh, averting her eyes and then looking back at him. A thousand things passed over her face.

‘Come on, talk to me,’ Han said. ‘We’ll get him back, if not this way then another.’ Not even a week ago, he wouldn’t have been able to say it and actually believe it himself, but now he did. Ben needed him now and he wasn’t going to let him down again.

‘We will,’ Leia nodded, a small smile growing on her lips. ‘If everything goes according to plan, he will be fine.’

Han let go of the breath he had been holding. ‘Don’t scare me like that. What’s the plan?’

Leia sighed again. ‘I know you aren’t going to like this, but I can’t tell you. It has to stay under the radar.’

‘I’m not going to blab,’ Han argued. ‘Just tell me. He’s _our_ son.’

‘I know that,’ Leia countered. ‘But you have to trust me here. I promise he’ll be alright. But for now, we have to destroy that weapon, or none of us will be safe, including Ben.’

Han chewed on his lip. Objectively, he knew she was right and she wouldn’t be keeping him in the dark if she didn’t believe it to be for the best. Subjectively, it wasn’t that easy.

What Finn had said earlier had confirmed one of his suspicions. Snoke hurting Ben hadn’t been an isolated incident. It was a pattern and now Ben was being dragged to him in chains as a traitor to the First Order. He had to do his best not to let his imagination run wild. ‘I trust you. It’s just…you know.’ And he did trust her, more than anyone, but she had been wrong before.

‘Then I need you to promise me something,’ Leia took his hand. ‘Don’t go looking for him. Not yet. If in a few days from now, we still haven’t heard anything, I’ll tell you everything.’

‘Alright,’ Han crossed his arms. ‘But only if you’re sure about this.’

‘I am,’ Leia said. ‘But I need you to be prepared. He won’t be the boy we lost anymore.’

There it was, the rathar in the room. ‘I know. I know. He’s still on the dark side, but really, I never understood all of that anyway. Once he’s back, we’ll figure it out.’ Silently, he hoped what Luke had told him about the dark side had been exaggerated. It had to be. All he had heard and seen had proved. Ben was not a shadow of what he had been, and even if he was, Han would bring him back.

Leia chuckled, more genuine happiness than he had seen in years. ‘That’s always what I loved about you, but it won’t be that easy. What do you know about why Ben fell in the first place?’

‘Not much,’ Han admitted. In the back of his mind, he had always been wondering. What had gone wrong? ‘I know he chose to go that way, to fall to the dark side, whatever that is supposed to mean. But he has come all this way by himself. We haven’t lost him.’ He wondered if the dark side really did something to your mind. The old Jedi order used to believe anyone who fell was lost forever. Now, he knew there were exceptions, but if hardly anyone ever returned from the dark side, what was the dark side exactly?

Was it really a trap? Had Ben fallen into it?

‘That’s not what I meant,’ Leia said. ‘I need to tell you something. Something I should’ve told you long ago, but I hoped I was wrong, or that I could resolve it without involving you.’

Han nodded, sure he wasn’t going to like this. ‘What is it?’

‘It was Snoke. He was watching from the shadows. Always,’ Leia pressed her eyes shut. ‘That’s why I wanted Ben to train with Luke. I hoped we could keep him away from the dark side, but I was wrong.’

Han’s jaw dropped. It took a minute before it fully hit him. Leia had sent their son away when he was nine and she had been talking about it long before that. ‘Always?’

‘Yes, since Ben was in my womb,’ she put her hands over her belly. ‘I didn’t know what it was at the time. I felt darkness, but luke said that was normal. The stronger the light, the stronger the darkness. And Ben had equal potential for both. Snoke knew this. He has been pulling Ben to the darkness from the beginning.’

‘Why?’ Han demanded. ‘Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve done something.’ It was like he heard about Ben’s fall all over again, but this time he knew for sure. He had been the one to fail. Someone had been preying on his kid and he hadn’t even noticed, never known until now.

Ben hadn’t fallen into a trap, he had been lured into it.

‘Maybe I should have,’ Leia said. ‘But you see, you’ve got many wonderful qualities. Patience and understanding have never been among them. I feared your reaction would push him further away.’

Han opened his mouth to argue, but he understood where she was coming from. What would he have done had he found out? Probably hunt Snoke down, but he most definitely wouldn’t have been calm about it. But above all, he wouldn’t have let anyone sent Ben away.

‘Did Ben even stand a chance?’ Han asked. He had always assumed Ben had made his choices freely, but that might have been a terrible mistake on its own. If he had had the slightest idea of what had been going on, he would’ve busted Snoke’s door down six years ago and dragged Ben home. ‘Does anyone ever stand against someone like Snoke?’

Leia fell silent, her mouth slightly ajar. ‘I don’t know, but I do know this; there has always been light in Ben. We can reach him, but what I’m trying to say, Ben has had Snoke influencing him since before his birth and I- I’ve got some ideas what Snoke has put him through in the past years. It’s not something you can just shake off. I need you to be ready for that.’

‘I never thought this was going to be easy,’ Han said. ‘We’ll just have to do better this time.’

Leia took his hand and squeezed. Her eyes were filled with loss and regret. They wouldn’t be much longer. Their family would never be the same again, but they could pick up the pieces and, in time, put them back together.

He wrapped his arms around her and held her against his chest. ‘He’ll be alright. He’s like his mother in that.’

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

Ben shivered. ‘It’s freezing in here. This is Starkiller base, isn’t it? That’s what you get for sucking out the sun.’

‘Please,’ Shyam groaned. ‘Tone down your attitude. It won’t serve you here.’

_We’ll see about that._

The doors opened. Countless pairs of eyes turned towards him. A narrow path in the middle guarded by stormtroopers was the only space unoccupied. Ben straightened himself and walked. Some of the people he recognised, others not, but none would see fear in his eyes.

This was a battle and he was going to face it like any other, head-on.

At the far and of the room, Snoke’s hologram was waiting, twice his actual size. It only now occurred to Ben how ridiculous it looked.

‘Alright, Ben. Listen carefully,’ Grandfather spoke in his mind. ‘The Mandalorian iron shuts you off from the Force, but that goes two ways. Snoke won’t be able to read your mind as easily and I’ll prevent him from slipping through the cracks.’

Now Ben thought about it, the nightmare from before had been a rather simple one and that would explain why. Snoke simply couldn’t do more. That would make things a lot easier.

Hux came stomping their way, making the crowd part even further. His face was contorted in morbid satisfaction. It wouldn’t be looking like that when Ben was done with this farce. ‘Good to see they finally put a chain on the rabid dog.’

_How creative._

‘Hey, Hux,’ Ben gave him his best smile. ‘How’s your mom?’

Hux turned a shade of purple Ben had never seen before, proving Brynda’s rumour mill had hit its intended target.

‘Nice lady,’ Ben added for effect.

Without a word, Hux backhanded him across the face.

Ben blinked in surprise. Not because Hux had done that. He had seen that coming from twelve parsecs away. But because he hadn’t felt anything more than a brush against his skin. Either Hux was more of a lightweight than he seemed or that painkiller Palloyu had given him was exceptionally strong. ‘Your mom hit harder than that.’

Shyam snorted, as did half the crowd. Hux eyed the room, seeming as if he already regretted making this thing a public affair.

_Just you wait._

‘We shouldn’t keep everyone waiting,’ Shyam said, pushing Ben ahead. After a second he whispered. ‘Haha, funny. Now you can keep your mouth shut for the rest of it.’

_Nope._

Up ahead, Dr.Gregor was tapping away on her datapad in front of a construction, the function of which Ben could guess. ‘Is that for me?’

‘Yes,’ Shyam said flatly, pushing him to his knees between which were practically two poles, detached the bindings on his wrist from each other and attached each to a pole. This was going to be uncomfortable.

Dr.Gregor stuck some wires to Ben’s neck and wrists. Indicators popped up on her datapad and she retreated to a back corner. In the meantime, Shyam had ditched.

Maura stood at the foot of the hologram, Palloyu by her side. They were going to get a front-row seat to the show.As if reading his thoughts, Palloyu nodded to a coiled object on a table. A woven leather-like strap.Too broad to cut the skin and to light to break his bones, but nasty all the same. They were indeed particular on how exactly they wanted to torture him.

Hux took his place between Snoke’s glaring hologram and Ben’s uncomfortable position. ‘We have gathered here today to witness the trial of Kylo Ren. His crimes include desertion and treachery of the highest order. He has-.’

‘Hey!’ Ben shouted, saving everyone from Hux’s prattling. ‘Where’s my lawyer?’

Hux opened and closed his mouth like a choking fish. ‘I beg your pardon?’

‘Well, beg,’ Ben said. ‘The defendant is supposed to have a lawyer. That’s basic stuff. How could you forget that?’

‘The evidence has been thoroughly analysed,’ Hux yapped. ‘Both the defense and prosecution fall under my jurisdiction.’

‘Seems fair,’ Ben deadpanned and jabbed his chin at Snoke. ‘Let me guess, that’s the judge?’

If Snoke was offended, he didn’t let on.

‘Our supreme leader will speak judgment,’ Hux stuck his nose in the air as if that made him smarter. ‘As is his right and duty.’

‘Good to have that cleared up,’ Ben said. ‘I was almost afraid you’d insist on doing this by the book. Fair trials are so tedious. I prefer a challenge.’

Palloyu laughed. Hux swirled around. Even without the Force, Ben could perceive the unbridled contempt between them. That was what Palloyu had meant with _not much longer._ He had slipped up with his bootlicking act and Hux hadn’t liked it. Ben guessed someone was about to lose their jobs and it wasn’t him this time. Too bad that degradations from Hux usually came in the form of a tragic accident. He had rather grown a liking to Palloyu during the last hour. Maura elbowed her boyfriend, getting him to quiet down then glared at Hux with all the intensity of the suns he had sucked out, avenging their untimely demise.

Hux swirled back. ‘The overwhelming evidence has led us to-.’

‘Aren’t you supposed to ask me how I plead?’ Ben tilted his head. ‘Guilty, not guilty. I’m sure you know the drill.’

Hux frowned. ‘You would deny your crimes?’

‘Can you be more specific?’ Ben asked, again jabbing his chin at Snoke. ‘The ones he ordered me to commit or just the ones that bother you?’

‘Enough, Ben,’ Grandfather said, chuckling. ‘You’ve had your fun. Don’t push this. You’re only getting hurt that way.’

Above, Snoke narrowed his eyes. Normally, that would’ve been enough of a warning for Ben to take it down a notch, but not now.

‘You would deny being a traitor and deserter?’ Hux demanded.

‘Oh, that?’ Ben feigned thinking about it. ‘Is that an option?’

‘General,’ Snoke said, looking down in icy rage.

Hux gloated. ‘You have your orders, Captain.’

Palloyu came into motion tauntingly slow, stretching his arms over his head and went for the table with the torture instrument. Halfway, Palloyu stopped and let his arm dropped. ‘Hey, my shoulder’s playing up again. I can’t seem to move it. Doctor?’

Dr.Gregor looked up. ‘Possibly. I’d suggest you let it rest another day.’

‘Ah, too bad,’ Palloyu shrugged, fully moving his shoulder. ‘No can do.’

It seemed now that everything had gone out of the window anyway, Palloyu had decided to go out with a bang. Ben could respect that.

‘I’ll do it myself,’ Hux shoved Palloyu out of the way and grabbed the strap.

‘Really?’ Ben hoped that painkiller was as good as he thought. ‘No lawyer, but you’ve got that thing? What idiot set this up?’

‘I’m going to enjoy this,’ Hux hissed as he walked past.

‘That’s what your mom said,’ Ben taunted.

He closed his eyes and waited. A weight slammed into his back, but again, he felt no pain. It might as well be his shirt shifting. Wherever Palloyu had gotten that painkiller, it wasn’t from the First Order. If they had something like that they would’ve pumped their soldiers full of it. By the time it was over, Ben had heard more then he had felt. When Hux walked back past him, Ben smiled. ‘You should really let your mom do that. She’s better at it.’

Hux grimaced, not looking where he was going and faceplanted into the floor. Ben burst out in laughter. They were making this too easy for him. Hux scrambled up and returned to his spot, carrying on the show as if nothing had happened. ‘We have undeniable evidence that-.’

‘What makes it undeniable?’ Ben asked.

Hux imploded on the spot. ‘The security footage shows you aiding in the escape of a high-interest detainee.’

‘From inside the TIE-fighter?’ Ben raised an eyebrow. ‘There are cameras in those things now?’

‘From before you entered the stolen aircraft,’ Hux snapped.

‘Can I see that footage?’ Ben asked, knowing full well there was no such footage unless they had pasted his face unto Finn’s helmet. ‘Because that’s impossible. We met up in the TIE-fighter. Maybe you should just play it now, so everyone can see it.’

Hux had worked himself in too much of a frenzy to notice the obvious. ‘You deny aiding in the escape?’

‘Actually, I do,’ Ben said.

Hushed whispers went up from the crowd. Even Snoke seemed surprised.

‘You deny it?’ Hux asked, not quite catching on.

‘Well, you see,’ Ben said. ‘If you’d ask anyone present, I’m sure they’ll tell you I was of little help. You see, I was a little burned up at the time.’

Snoke’s nostrils flared. The whispers died down immediately. Palloyu nodded in silent admiration

Hux glanced at the hologram. Snoke nodded.

Grandfather Spoke. ‘Stop it. You can’t win this.’

‘Oh, that’s a good argument,’ Ben said when Hux grabbed the strap and came to repeat the entire thing.The sound of the strap clashing with fabric and the skin beneath rung through the air, but again Ben felt nothing. Still, it went on long for a while. From the back corner, Dr.Gregor held up a hand and it stopped. Their concern for his wellbeing was touching

Ben glanced over his shoulder. ‘Feel better now?’

Hux made a face as if he saw a nerf with Snoke’s face crawl up a wall.

‘Enough,’ Grandfather cautioned. ‘You can’t feel it but the damage is already extensive.’

Somehow, Hux managed to trip at the exact same spot, not faceplanting this time but stumbling spectacularly.

Ben projected a question in his mind. _Did you do that?_

‘I’d wish,’ Grandfather scoffed.

‘I’ll ask this one last time,’ Hux said as if nothing happened. ‘Were you or were you not involved in the escape of the aforementioned detainee?’

‘Are you even listening?’ Ben asked. ‘Like I said three times by now; yes i was there. I know this is your first trial ever, but you’re going to have to do better. Do you need a break? You look a bit stressed.’

‘Furthermore,’ Hux ignored him. ‘Three days ago, you attacked our troops on the planet of Jakku and interfered in their operation.’

‘Did I?’ Ben rolled his eyes. That was just exaggerating. ‘I vaguely recall sending some guys away because they were shooting at random bystanders. Were those your guys? I couldn’t tell with all the sand blowing around.’

Hux narrowed his eyes. ‘Over a dozen witnesses confirm it. You assaulted our soldiers and prevented them from obtaining their objective.’

‘That’s not true,’ Ben said. ‘I just sent them home, that’s all. Besides, their objective was finding me. I’d actually say I helped with that. So, you want to rephrase that last one? That’s fine. I know you’re new to this.’

‘You attacked our troops and interfered in their mission,’ Hux repeated, testing _the third time’s a charm_ theory.

‘Now, you’re just saying the same thing,’ Ben dropped his head. ‘I’ve got the feeling you’re not really trying here.’

‘Honestly, you can stop now,’ grandfather spoke. ‘There’s nothing of his dignity left for you to destroy.’

Ben took it as a challenge.

‘Due to the overwhelming testimony, it’s safe to conclude you are indeed guilty of this charge,’ Hux tried to ignore him. Bad move.

‘Maybe you should’ve done this trial without me,’ Ben made a sad face. ‘You never seem to appreciate my input. Each time we disagree, you either ignore me or hit me. That’s why I like your mom better. Nothing personal, but it just wouldn’t have worked.’

Hux’s eyebrows shot to the roof at the brand-new insinuation. It wasn’t even well thought out. Ben had just made it up at the spot. Still, judging from the whispers, the crowd was eating it up. Maura facepalmed and her boyfriend was doubled over in laughter. Dr.Gregor had lifted her datapad in front of her face.

‘I stand corrected,’ Grandfather remarked.

Hux’s face bridled with unconcealed disgust, standing there and trying to decide whether to hit him or ignore him. Neither would’ve looked particularly good.

Snoke interfered. ‘Proceed with the trial.’

Hux made a vain attempt at regaining his incinerated dignity. ‘As I was saying, It’s safe to take the witnesses for their word.’

‘You know who I took?’ Ben smirked. ‘And don’t get jealous.’

‘Ben, I swear,’ Grandfather said. ‘If you say “his mom”.’

Hux beckoned a stormtrooper. He was finding a way around his predicament.

‘Oh, shut up,’ Maura yelled. All eyes turned to her. She folded her hands to appear calm. ‘Apologies, carry on.’

‘Yeah, alright,’ Ben laughed. ‘That one was mean. Where were we?’

Hux had turned redder than his hair by now. ‘Adding to your crimes, you infiltrated a secured facility, compromised our security, attacked personal, stole an aircraft and insulted our Supreme leader. What do you have to say for yourself?’

That last sentence was a mistake.

‘Oh, so now you care what I’ve got to say?’ Ben jutted out his lip. ‘Well, now it’s too late.’

‘Alright, I was wrong,’ Grandfather said. ‘You won this. Just stop.’

Hux sighed in resignation and turned towards Snoke’s ugly hologram. ‘Supreme leader, the defendant does not seem to take the proceedings seriously.’

‘I’d say so,’ Snoke gestured at the same trooper Hux had been trying to harass into doing his dirty work.

Ben looked over his shoulder and gave the poor trooper a smile. The guy would be pissing his armour by now. He could use some positive reinforcement.

The trooper retrieved the lovey little torture instrument and got into position. Ben made sure to look Hux dead in the eye. Which was about ten seconds before Dr.Gregor raised her hand again and the trooper made himself scarce. Ben began worrying about his health. Especially considering there was blood dripping from his mouth.

‘Now. What I’ve got to say for myself,’ he nodded, spitting the blood in Snoke’s direction. ‘Well, I’d say my working conditions were horrible. Talking to my boss was a hazard. Not just an occupational hazard, just a hazard in general.’

Palloyu’s mouth twitched.

‘I give up,’ grandfather said.

‘I got a little sad once and he fried me,’ Ben continued. ‘He made me work with this ginger here, which sucks. And then he blew up my home planet. I’d say I haven’t made myself clear enough on Jakku.’ he turned to Snoke. ‘Piss off, Supreme Fuck. Just admit this trial’s a farce. No one in here has been shot head enough times to think it’s legit. Just say you need me alive to kill my uncle and we can all go home. What do _you_ have to say to that?’

Snoke tilted his head, scowling like nobody’s business. ‘I believe this trial is quite done.’

Ben smirked. He had won. ‘Already? I was just-.’ He gasped as something closed around his throat.

‘His crimes cannot be denied,’ Snoke said. ‘he has made himself a traitor to our cause. Today, justice will prevail.’

Ben fought for air, the pressure on his throat growing and growing. Dots jumped before his eyes. This was how he was going to die? By having challenged Snoke? He should’ve known.

‘The universe shall know what happens to those who dare mock us,’ Snoke continued.

Blood rushed in Ben’s ears. In the distance, Maura screamed. He willed himself to open his eyes, to find her. Her green eyes locked unto his. _Tia,_ that was her name. He hoped one day she would find it back.

He mouthed one word. ‘Goodbye.’

‘No!’ grandfather roared.

The pressure on his throat fell away. Burning air filled his lungs. Maura lifted his head back up. By the time Ben had fully regained his vision, chaos had broken out.

People were running around. Hux was shouting at Palloyu who was inspecting his nails and looking as if he was deciding exactly what dance he was going to do on Hux’s grave. Dr.Gregor was on the ground. But most importantly, Snoke’s hologram was gone. Ben let out a laugh. Snoke had gotten far more than he had bargained for. He had gotten a confrontation with grandfather.

‘Don’t,’ Maura pleaded. ‘Just play along when he comes back. We can still salvage this.’

‘If he comes back,’ Ben grinned. He’d love to know how Supreme Fuck was holding up against Darth Vader.

‘Please,’ Maura urged.

‘Just watch,’ Ben said.

The hologram flickered alive. Ben braced himself to see what remained of Snoke. His stomach dropped when Snoke popped back up, unscathed.

‘Apologies,’ Hux saluted. ‘There seems to have been a technical failure.’

‘Yes,’ Snoke bit. ‘It seems so.’

A technical failure named Anakin Skywalker. Not that Snoke was going to announce that.

‘I’m sorry,’ Grandfather spoke, having returned. ‘There’s little I can do in this form. Just try to survive this. It’s not worth dying for. Remember, you won’t be here for long.’

Ben chewed his lip. Snoke wasn’t that keen on keeping him alive anymore. That insurance was gone. If he was to fight another day, he would have to swallow his pride.

‘Supreme leader,’ Maura spoke up before anyone else could. ‘My master has seen the error in his ways. I implore you, in the honour of his many years of faithful service, to grant him one last chance.’

‘Truly now,’ Snoke sneered. ‘Why should I? I’ve already given him more chances than he deserves.’

Ben forced himself to speak, bile rising in his throat. ‘I apologise. I’ve overstepped my bounds after you’ve gracefully offered me a second chance. I will not lower myself to such behaviour again. I am your loyal servant.’ No one would believe he had regained his loyalty after being choked half to death, but Snoke had never cared about his loyalty. He just wanted to control him, to break him.

‘Well then. We can finally put this awful business behind us,’ Snoke leaned back in his throne. ‘Your sentence shall be suspended. Do not give me a reason to regret this.’

‘I will not betray your trust again,’ Ben stared at the floor to hide his disgust. He knew how to play this game all too well.

‘Welcome home, my young apprentice,’ Snoke spread his hands. ‘We shall discuss the terms of your reintegration into our ranks.’

The words they kept coming up with for torture were getting more creative.


	23. Ties that bind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a POV of an OC in this chapter. Feel free to let me know whether it works out or not. :)

Hux’s fist slammed into the side of his face for the fourth time now. He seriously needed a hobby.

Ben looked him dead in the eye, wondering how long it would take before Hux figured out he couldn’t feel it.

The audience had stumbled over each other to get out as soon as they had been dismissed. Only Hux, Maura, Palloyu and Snoke’s glowering hologram remained.

‘You are quite skilled at beating defenceless opponents,’ Maura interrupted, her voice laced with mockery. ‘Did your father teach you that?’

Ben whistled. She was on a roll with her low blows lately. Beside her, Palloyu crossed his arms and smirked. Such a nice couple.

Hux’s mask of self-control slipped. Ben had sensed years ago Hux would burn down the universe with no regret to feel in control and he had just taken that control away, humiliating him in front of everyone., cracking the façade. The stone-cold rage dripped out.

He knew, if Hux had been strong with the Force, he would’ve been a natural darksider, one Ben would’ve backed away from. Luckily for the universe, that wasn’t the case and Hux was a rather pathetic figure.

Even Dr.Gregor wasn’t particularly impressed. She shoved Hux aside, paying no heed to the murderous glance thrown her way. ‘Now, if I may do my job.’

‘No need for that, Doctor,’ Snoke said, having watched the scene with satisfaction. ‘I was assured the wounds would leave no damage. The natural recovery shall serve as a reminder. Now, Doctor, Captain. Leave us.’

Dr.Gregor left with relative grace. Palloyu, on the other hand, bolted to the door.

When he was halfway out, he stuck his head back in. ‘See you around, Hux.’

That degradation would be rather gruesome. Hux would have to be careful though. Not even Snoke would be able to protect him from Maura’s wrath.

‘Let me undo these restraints,’ Maura said. ‘They no longer serve their purpose.’

‘Patience, child,’ Snoke narrowed his eyes. ‘Somethings will have to be discussed first.’

Inside Ben’s mind, Grandfather spoke. ‘Remember, your mind is protected.’

Ben decided to test that hypothesis. _Hey, Supreme Fuck, you hearing this? Eat Nerfshit._

Nothing happened. That was proof enough. He could think of a million plans to make Snoke ingest a lightsaber and the old shit wouldn’t even notice.

‘I will need proof of your allegiance,’ Snoke turned to him. ‘But I trust that won’t be a problem.’

Bullying Hux was one thing, defying Snoke directly would take some more finesse. ‘Of course. My grandfather’s blood runs through my veins after all.’

Snoke glowered. That implication would’ve been hard to explain to the others present. ‘I should remind you the suspension of your sentence is conditional. I will not be so merciful next time.’

‘That will not be necessary,’ Maura said. ‘I will see to it personally.’

‘Such loyalty,’ Snoke said. ‘It is good to see you have not followed your master’s example. It would be a shame to see someone with such determination and a noble goal to fall prey to another’s weakness.’

Ben wanted to scream. The vindication was so obvious, but he doubted she would be able to see it. He never had in the past.

‘I will not rest until all slavers are wiped from existence,’ Maura said. ‘That I swear.’

‘Good, good,’ Snoke nodded. ‘It’s already such a waste you were distracted by your master’s misguided treachery.’

He had to bite his lip. Anything he would say now would only make things worse. But he now realised the First Order had never been interested in ending slavery. They commanded an army of slaves. The only difference being that stormtroopers were raised to believe that was what they wanted.

‘I shall to my efforts as soon as the resistance has been dealt with,’ Maura said.

‘Yes,’ Snoke said. ‘Has the scavenger awoken yet?’

‘Not yet,’ Maura reported. ‘But I will be informed as soon as she does.’

‘Very well,’ Snoke said, smiling. This was going to be sadistic. ‘Your master will continue his search for Skywalker. It has always been his passion. As for the resistance, they will no longer oppose us.’

Ben tried to think of a plan to let Rey escape.

‘We are close to narrowing down their location,’ Hux said. ‘We know the system they are in.’

‘Destroy the entire system if you have to,’ Snoke said. ‘But do not delay.’

Even Hux was taken aback by the sheer excessiveness. ‘There are still planets the First Order could claim, with valuable resources.’

‘A necessary sacrifice,’ Snoke dismissed, looking at Ben. ‘Aren’t you glad, my young apprentice. One of your greatest weaknesses shall be destroyed today.’

_Mom._

Pure, raw energy coursed through his body. The manacles shattered, freeing his hands. He tore the chains still hanging from his in half and rose to his feet in a burst of movement. The rage was not just his own. ‘I will crush you. Do this and there won’t be enough of you left to salvage.’

Snoke laughed, swiping his hand. ‘I was afraid you might say that.’

Ben crumpled back to his knees. He tried to reclaim the power he had felt, but it was once again locked away by the Mandalorian iron.

Snoke extended his hand. Ben tensed in anticipation, having to remind himself Snoke could do nothing to him now. He felt no pain and his mind was protected.

‘Supreme leader,’ Shyam’s voice echoed through the room. ‘I have urgent news. The troops left behind on Takodana were overwhelmed by an unknown force. What are your orders?’

Ben wasn’t sure whether to be grateful or to roll his eyes. Shyam was never one for subtlety, but this intervention was plain transparent.

Snoke glowered. A matter like that could not be ignored. ‘The General will see to it that it is handled accordingly.’

‘Of course,’ Hux said. ‘But-.’

‘Furthermore,’ Shyam continued. ‘Concerning Takodana, I must report on another matter. I do apologise for not mentioning it sooner. It seemed like a small matter at the time, but with the recent developments, I find it necessary to bring it to your attention. An individual infiltrated our command ship during the invasion. She was apprehended but some of our troops reported seeing her in the presence of Han Solo. I’ve taken the liberty to bring her here.’

Ben glanced over his shoulder. He wasn’t talking about Rey. That wouldn’t add up. The doors opened. Stormtroopers dragged a single person with them.

His heart sunk. She had come for him, and now she was a prisoner.

‘How about you do your own dirty work, Axe-freak,’ Brynda hissed, lurching at Shyam.

Ben turned away, slowly, hoping nothing showed in either his movements or his face.

‘Who are, girl?’ Hux walked towards her.

‘Maz Kanata,’ Brynda deadpanned.

‘That would explain it,’ Shyam remarked.

‘We don’t have time for this,’ Hux said. ‘hand her over to the interrogation team.’

‘We’re going to have a problem here, you son of a motherkriffer,’ she shouted. ‘How many generations of that went into making you? You know what? I’m going to take Freaky’s axe here and shove it where the sunlight don’t reach. Then you have two sticks up your ass to worry about.’

Ben’s jaw dropped. Artoo could’ve learned a thing or two from that.

‘Keep her quiet,’ Hux demanded.

‘Now, you see,’ Shyam said, chuckling. ‘I rather enjoy her commentary. So… descriptive.’

Snoke looked at all of them. ‘You know this girl, my apprentice?’

‘No,’ Ben said, keeping his voice and expression even, or at least trying to. ‘I’ve never seen her before.’

‘Holy crap,’ Brynda exclaimed. ‘Who left the garbage chute open? Just look at what came crawling out.’

Again, Snoke only smiled, already content with the new leverage he had. ‘Then you won’t mind her elimination.’

Ben let out a sigh, not answering.

‘I’ll ask again. Do you know her?’

‘Yes,’ Ben turned his head away. From the corners of his eyes, he caught a glimpse of her. Her eyes went wide.

‘Then we shall keep her around,’ Snoke said. ‘You do tend to perform better with the right motivation.’

‘I understand,’ Ben forced himself to bow his head.

‘That’s a lot of bantha shit to say you’re keeping me hostage,’ Brynda challenged.

‘Return her to her cell,’ Shyam said. ‘I will deal with her.’

Ben turned to watch as they dragged her away. It was for the better. She had courage, but a dangerous kind.

‘I must ask,’ Hux came out of his dark corner. ‘Ren has just threatened your life. Surely, we cannot let that pass with a mere warning?’

Ben scoffed. Hux would’ve killed every person in this room ten times over if he could.

‘I do believe you have more urgent matters to attend to, General,’ Maura twirled her cord around her fingers.

‘Silence, child,’ Snoke extended his hand. ‘Your master will not escape the consequences of his treachery again.’

Before Ben could remind himself that it wouldn’t hurt, he already fell to the floor. Searing heat shot through him. In the back of his mind, he remembered. This was an illusion.

The painkiller wouldn’t work.

In the past, he would’ve fought not to scream. Now, he didn’t care. Let them hear him scream if they wanted. His mind was his own.

As sudden as it had come, it ceased. How much time had passed? Minutes? Hours?

‘Get him out of my sight.’

 

* * *

 

 

‘Matching the data from Snap’s reconnaissance flight with the intel from Finn and the senator, we’ve confirmed the location,’ Poe announced to the war council gathered around the holomap.

Finn had never even met most people in the room, but they had all accepted his presence without fuss. No one cared that he had once been a stormtrooper. Only the senator threw him a glance every once in a while. But fair enough, he had been staring at her once or twice. It was the first time he saw a togruta outside of a screen. All he knew about them was that they were known for eating small rodents. Also, what was she wearing?

‘They’ve somehow managed to build a hyperweapon within the planet itself,’ one of the officers took over from Poe.

‘A laser cannon?’ Another asked.

That description didn’t cover it. Not in the slightest. That thing had just wiped out a system. Laser cannons, in general, didn’t do that.

‘We’re not sure how to describe a weapon of this scale,’ the first officer explained.

‘It’s another Death Star,’ yet another said.

Finn had read about the Death star, and he could say that was nowhere near true. The Death star had been an unstable weapon capable of blowing up a planet. Starkiller base on the other hand, was quite stable.

‘I’d wish that were the case, Major,’ Poe said, pressing a button on the control panel in the middle. A miniature model of the Death star popped up. ‘This is the Death star and this,’ he pressed another button. ‘Is Starkiller base.’

A second model popped up and grew, nearly dwarfing the Death star out of existence. Finn couldn’t have gotten the point across better.

Yet, Solo hadn’t gotten the message. ‘So, it’s big?’

Finn just sighed and let it go. The lack of self-preservation skills had to be genetic or something.

The crowd parted to let someone through. A person Finn didn’t know handed a datacard to the general. It was if the entire room held their breath as she read it.

The general sighed before she spoke. ‘They’re charging the weapon again. Our system is the next target.’

The only thing that surprised Finn concerning that, was the fact the First Order knew where they were. No matter where he went, the First Order would start shooting at it.

Would they also do that if he climbed on Phasma’s back? He sure hoped so.

‘Okay,’ Han said, nodding contently. ‘How do we blow it up?’

All eyes turned to him, except Finn’s. Han had been ready to pick a fistfight with the entire First Order and then Snoke. He suspected going up against a weapon of mass destruction was probably another nice, little afternoon for the old guy.

‘There’s always a way to do that,’ Han added. Nobody answered. Nobody had been crazy enough to seriously think about it. It was a superweapon wrapped inside a planet. Only Han was crazy enough to consider just blowing it up.

‘Han’s right,’ the general said.

_He was?_

Finn decided to go with it. Those two had taken down some Death stars before. If anyone here knew anything about it, it would be them. But whatever the case, the general had more in common with her husband than Finn would’ve guessed. Although recalling some of the stuff their kid had pulled, he figured that that much crazy had to come from two sides.

‘Maybe, an exhaust port?’ The general said hesitantly. ‘A weapon like that has to have some kind of power excess.’

Finn got the reasoning, but that sounded rather simple. Poe frowned with a blank look in his eyes. The senator bobbed her head, seemingly amused.

‘Well, it’s not exactly a Death star,’ someone said. ‘But a weapon like that needs to have some kind of thermal oscillator to contain that much power.’

‘Wait, there is,’ Finn stepped up, zooming in the hologram. ‘Precinct 47. Here.’

The same officer squinted. ‘If we can destroy that oscillator, it might destabilise the weapon and cripple the core.’

Finn tried to picture what would happen if all that energy was indeed turned inwards. All his brain could muster was _Swoosh, Swoosh, Boom._ Whatever was going to happen now, he had to make sure Rey was safe and away before anything blew at all.

‘Maybe the planet,’ the _it’s another Death star_ guy added.

‘They have defensive shields that our ships cannot penetrate,’ the _thermal oscillator_ guy said.

‘We disable the shields,’ Han said.

Finn couldn’t wait to hear how he planned on doing that. Was he politely going to ask Hux to let him in so they could wreck the shield generators? Did he have a remote control laying around?

‘Kid,’ Han turned to him. That wasn’t good. ‘You worked there. What have you got?’

Finn made the decision in a split second. ‘I can do it.’

That was not entirely true, but not a lie either. He could do it, he just didn’t know how yet. But he would figure it out on the way. He needed to get on that base, for Rey, to save her. It might be the only chance he got. Turning off the shields shouldn’t be all too difficult. A vague, slightly entertaining plan formed in his head. It was a bit farfetched though. But if nothing else, they could do whatever it was people did with the Force. If it could catch people falling from space ships, it could turn off the shields.

 ‘I like this guy,’ Han grinned like the madman he was. Being on his _people I like_ list probably meant you were at least slightly crazy yourself. But for Rey, he would do it.

‘I can disable the shields, but I have to be there. On the planet.’

Some people frowned and exchanged glances, but most nodded. Poe smirked at him. If unease didn’t already show on Finn’s face from all that, it most certainly did when his eye fell on the senator. She smiled with her fangs bared. Finn wondered if he looked like a small rodent at the moment.

‘We’ll get you there,’ Han nodded, still grinning. Finn feared for his life and limbs, but he pushed it down. Straight towards the goal was the way to go. He’d face the risks when he got there.

‘How?’ the General asked.

‘If it told you, you wouldn’t like it,’ Han said. Finn tried to not think about it. He wouldn’t like it either. Maybe, Han was going to try to talk his way in. They would all die spectacularly, but at least it would be a show.

‘You heard it,’ the General said. ‘Everyone, get to work. We have no time to waste.’

The crowd dispersed within five seconds, running in all directions. Finn stared around, wondering what to do next. The only other people left were Han and the senator. Even Poe had left.

Han looked around. ‘I’m going to find Chewie. You get to the Falcon.’ He walked off, leaving Finn with the fanged, smiling senator.

‘Hey,’  Finn smiled back in the hopes of looking less edible. ‘I’m Finn.’

‘Padme,’ she replied, her smile growing wider. ‘I was just thinking; I’ve got this relative who would’ve really liked you.’

Finn wasn’t sure what to make of that and he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Leia covered her mouth as she watched the recording.

He had grown so much. No longer the boy she remembered, but a man now. Han had always said their son would be a rebel. How could he not be? And he had been right. Open defiance burned in Ben’s eyes.

Each time he pointed out the hypocrisies and lies with nonchalance, she felt pride. But more so, she flinched each time the strap hit his back. He hid his pain perfectly, but she could guess how much it had to hurt.

_How much had he gotten used to?_

‘We should leave it at that,’ Padme reached for the projector.

‘No,’ Leia stopped her. ‘I need to see this.’

And so she did. She knew what was coming. Still, her heart broke as she watched Ben struggle for his life, and yet again as he bowed his head, the defiance leaving his eyes.

Han had posed a good question. She didn’t know whether Ben had ever rebelled before, but he wouldn’t have stood a chance.

‘His suffering will not be in vain,’ Padme said. Her calm demeanour had made place for a cold fury. ‘They’ll pay for this mockery of justice. I’ll make sure this reaches every corner of the universe.’

And with that, Ben’s defiance would do more damage to the First Order than anyone could’ve done with a lightsaber. No one would trust a government that treated their own like that.

‘Thank you,’ Leia bit her lip. ‘Go and tell Poe what he needs to know.’

‘Of course,’ she nodded and left.

That girl had her mother’s spirit. Ready to fight against injustice at every turn. If Ahsoka had only been there…

But she had been torn away from her family, her daughters forced into a war she had so desperately tried to protect them from.

Leia recalled the last time she had seen her and how the answers she had gotten had only led to more questions.

_I’ve spent so long trying to make sense of it and I never truly could. But I can tell you this; once, when I was still his student, it occurred to me he would turn the world upside down for the ones he loved. In the end, he did, twice._

For those he loved. If anyone had told her a few years ago that Darth Vader had even been capable of love, she would’ve thought it a good joke.

But she had heard Ahsoka’s stories, read her birth mother’s and her grandmother’s journals, and she had come to believe he had indeed been driven by love once. Twisted, delusional love in the end, but that was not how he had started out.

And, in a sense, she did understand how he had become what he had. There was no denying he had been a cosmic punching bag before he had become a cosmic shitbag. Life had beaten everything out of him but the shit. Shit was all that had remained.

_Does anyone ever stand against someone like Snoke?_

Did anyone ever stand a chance against someone like the emperor?

Luke had, but he had admitted it had been a close call and the emperor hadn’t poured fourteen years into moulding him, starting a nonsense war just to wear him down.

But that didn’t matter right now. This wasn’t an issue of forgivingness. She needed to speak to him, for Ben’s sake.

She called on the promise he had made the only time they had spoken. ‘You said you’d be here if I needed you.’

A blob of light materialised in the middle of the room, shifting into a human shape. She hadn’t recognised him the first and last time she saw him, nearly thirty years ago.’

Ben had been crying, only to stop within seconds. That never happened, so she had gone to check, finding a stranger cradling Ben in his arms. After she had realised who he was, the question of how a ghost could be holding a baby had been the least of her concerns.

‘I have been trying to reach you for a while,’ he said.

‘And I’ve been ignoring you,’ Leia replied. ‘But to the point. Has Ben escaped yet?’

‘He will soon. If the first plan fails, the second will succeed.’

Leia sighed. She only knew the big lines. It unnerved her. ‘Is he alright?’ she looked at the frozen projector. ‘Under the circumstances.’

‘He didn’t feel any of that,’ he said. ‘An ally of Steela managed to shut down his pain receptors. Still, Snoke has ways around. There are ways of torture that require no physical pain.’

‘As I would well know.’

It hit.

He fell silent, staring at the floor and tugging at his sleeve. Who knew ghosts could get fidgety. ‘I-I’m sorry.’

‘I don’t care. I have no time for this,’ Leia said. It did mean something to her, but she would never admit it. ‘How bad are his injuries?’

‘Not good,’ he said. ‘But the attacks are mainly aimed at his mind.’

Leia closed her eyes, taking it in piece for piece. _Attacks on his mind._ She should have known.

When she opened her eyes, her birth father had approached. He smiled with more sadness than anything else and reached out his hand. The resemblance she saw to herself, to Ben and Luke, irked her. She grabbed his wrist. ‘Don’t.’

She was surprised to feel the touch of human flesh. ‘Don’t think I’ve forgiven anything. I’m doing this for my son.’

‘And I don’t expect you to,’ his arm fell to his side. ‘But I promise. I will do everything I can to protect him.’

‘You’ve been speaking to him.’

‘I know you told me not to,’ he looked away, uncomfortably. Admittedly, she had probably invented some new vocabulary that day. ‘But he needed to see there was still a way out.’

‘You’re why he left the First order.’

‘I showed him a way out, but the decision to take it was all his own.’

Leia rubbed her temples. All this time and that was all it had taken. A nudge in the right direction, a chance.

‘You should know, is eyes never turned colour,’ he said. ‘Even after six years. The dark side is not in his nature, no matter how hard he tries. He was never like me.’

An old question resurfaced in her mind. Something she had been wondering for years, and the only person capable of answering was standing right there. Now might not be the time, but when would it be? ‘Did you ever regret it? Did you ever want to walk away from the empire?’

He gaped, taken aback by the question. ‘Always.’

‘Then why didn’t you?’

‘Because I needed to believe I never had a choice,’ he said. Although muttering would’ve been a better description. ‘I’m afraid your resilience comes from your mother’s side of the family.’

‘Obviously,’ she rewinded the recording. ‘But this was you, wasn’t it?’

The recording showed how Snoke’s hologram vanished with a flash as Steela collapsed to the floor.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘That was me. But after that, I only made things worse. I fed into his anger.’

‘If anger is what he needs to survive then so be it,’ Leia sighed. The Jedi of old had eschewed anything of the sort, but anger had kept her alive plenty of times, helped her fight the empire. The Jedi way was not always the way to go. ‘Watch over him. He needs someone, anyone. Don’t let him be alone in this.’

If she’d known yesterday she would be asking this of him, she would’ve hit herself in the head.

‘He won’t be,’ he smiled as he flickered, and then disappeared.

 

* * *

 

 

_Pain. Crushing, all-overwhelming pain._

Brynda reached for the consciousness underneath, but it vanished.

_Because you don’t believe it. Look for what it is, not what you think it should be._

Once again, Maz’s vague advice was driving her nuts. Mom’s cousins hadn’t been any clearer.

In front of her, the Mad-axer was feeling sorry for himself, too lost in his own misery to as look as the troopers dragged her along. _Regret, anxiety._

She pushed it away. Trying to reason with a half-grilled guy who you knew was being tormented into compliance by an all-powerful goblin was one thing. She couldn’t afford trying the same thing with this fellow. Not that she was particularly inclined to.

But as always, the feeling bounced right back in her face. If she wanted it to be there, it disappeared. If she wanted it gone, it would screech into her ears.

Her skills in reading people and Mom’s ability to see through lies had kept their homes hidden and safe for years. They had always known who they could let in and who was planning on snitching their location to the First Order. Still, dealing with two insanely intuitive relatives had driven her brother crazy.

Then, two of Mom’s cousins had shown up- she had a lot of those, it came with being the daughter of a clone- and had gone around shouting _It’s the Force._

Brynda had laughed at them. She didn’t need an explanation for why she was good at what she did. Still, there was no denying she couldn’t technically know half of the things she did at times and after some actual research, she had come to accept that, yeah, maybe there were some teeny-tiny creatures in her cells that warned her when someone was about to screw her over.

Then she had read the Jedi stories, seen Mom’s cousins in actions and least but not last, she had seen Duncy’s theatrics.  

_Nope, can’t do that. I’m just that smart on my own._

Still, that same intuition had told her to look into Dale’s and Steela’s claims that the knights were just pawns. Even though Dale was likely exaggerating, getting a little too fond of the woman he was seducing for intel.

Then she had heard there was a chance the leader of the knights had run alongside a defecting trooper and an escaped prisoner. Dad had called her crazy for her plan to hear him out.

_We’re not taking that risk. If that Sith lord pops up along with the pilot, I’m shooting._

Luckily for Duncy, he had already been down, and Brynda hadn’t seen malice in him, only suffering confusion and a truckload of dumbass. Still, if he hadn’t saved those people, Dad would’ve probably shot him anyway.

To make this day worse, the evil ginger came trotting around the corner. Mad-axer was as enthusiastic as she was. ‘What do you want, Hux?’

‘I’ll take that prisoner from here,’ General twat said. ‘We wouldn’t want any mix-ups. Besides, I’d say you have other concerns.’

Now, there was some actual malice. The guy was practically oozing it. But you didn’t need to be psychic to see that. Anyone with eyes could.

‘Fine,’ Mad-axer bit. ‘But indeed, mix-ups would be _unfortunate._ See to it that does not happen.’ He turned and left. _Worry._

‘So this is your superweapon?’ she taunted. ‘Nice, nice. How do I take it apart?’

‘Make no illusions about your situation,’ General Shithead said, gesturing at the troopers.

She knew he would do that and she had guessed as much as soon as she had been captured. Good thing she had taken the numbing pill when she did. the left troopers hit her in the stomach. One would think they’d learned by now. She didn’t even flinch, just smiled and kicked him in the space between his kneeguard and shinguard.

_Nothing, only obedience._

That was the karking worst of it. They were no monsters, just human beings with the worst kind of bad luck. Subjected to a fate worse than death. Stripped of their free will.

‘Do you generally have to torture and blackmail people into working with you?’ she smirked. ‘Or does brainwashing mostly do the trick?’

Dad had always said she and Dale had little to no caution, but according to Steela that came with the territory of being part clone. Genetic manipulation and all that. She was just glad the rapid aging genes had been in the mitochondrial DNA or three-quarter of her family would’ve been kriffed.

General Ginger made a face like this was the third time something like this happened today. ‘Bring her to the cells.’

The troopers grabbed her arm at each side, setting themselves up for a little surprise. She jumped back, using them as jumping boards and kicked the evil moron square in the stomach. Payback, psychopath.

‘Any trouble, General?’ an all too familiar voice asked, mocking. She looked up. That uniform looked horrible on him. ‘Dr.Gregor wishes to speak with you.’

‘Yes, urgently,’ Steela appeared from behind him. ‘I suppose Captain Palloyu can handle this one. It cannot wait.’

The only thing Steela would wish to do to this guy was lightsaber him. They were up to something and Brynda was going to play along.

‘Yes, although it appears the good general cannot,’ Dale taunted.

General Rigid Moron raged visibly. Dale’s cover wasn’t going to hold much longer.

‘Supreme leader would be most displeased if this girl were to disappear,’ General Nasty huffed. ‘I do hope the knights are aware of this.’

Snoke had better adjust his expectations then. It seemed she would be disappearing quite soon, preferably at the same time as Duncy. That would be a masterpiece of Fuck The First Order.

‘They are,’ Dale nodded. ‘Just as Maura would be most displeased if I were to disappear.’ Subtlety had gone out of the window altogether, it seemed.

General Miffed sniffed and gestured at Steela to follow him. Steela played nice and did so.

Dale dismissed the stormtroopers, yet again foregoing subtlety. ‘Welcome to the madhouse, Sis.’


	24. Seeing through the confusion

 

Ben dug his heels into the floor when Maura tried to push him into the cell. His muscles weren’t functioning as they should, but so far he was winning. Then, she got tired of it and Force-shoved him inside.

‘Let me see that,’ she reached for the hem of his shirt.

‘Leave me alone,’ Ben demanded, the pain still fresh in his memory.

‘No one enjoyed that,’ she said. ‘But you threatened his life. What was he supposed to do?’

Ben needed a few seconds to process that. ‘He was about to kill me ten minutes earlier. Did you miss that part?’

‘You left him no choice,’ Maura argued. ‘This is not some family squabble. Our actions affect the entire universe. If he had allowed you to make a fool out of us, our enemies would see it as a weakness. You endangered the entire First Order.’

‘You know?’ Ben said. ‘I’ve had plenty of family squabbles, but no one ever beat me.’

‘So now we’re worse than Luke and your parents?’ she crossed her arms. ‘This entire trial was intended to let you off the hook. It’s not our fault you made a game out of it.’

Ben shook his head in disbelief. ‘Are you even listening to yourself? Do you actually believe that?’

‘Sometimes, doing what’s necessary hurts,’ she said. ‘I don’t want you to suffer but there are things greater than ourselves at play.’

Ben shook his head. She was practically quoting him. He remembered the exact day he had told her that. The day she had killed her slavers.

Luke had let them walk free after Ben had rolled up their little market. It was not a Jedi’s place to pass judgment. It had been left to the republic, who had proceeded to do nothing.

The slavers had gone on the rebuild their market. When he and the knights had torn it down, they had freed a dozen children. Only the Force could know how many had already been sold. And Maura, once their prized possession, had put an end to it, once and for all. The universe had been a better place for it.

But neither of them had truly believed there hadn’t been a better way. She had been torn up, crying, and for her sake, he had convinced both himself and her that she had done the only thing possible.

‘You want to bring freedom to the universe,’ Ben said. ‘To end slavery. That’s what you always wanted.’

‘And that’s wrong?’ she asked.

‘No, but the way we were doing it was,’ he said. ‘Ever wondered how Hux got so many soldiers?

She blinked. ‘Ask any of them and they will tell you they’re happy to fight for our cause. Believe me, I have.’

‘I’m sure you did,’ Ben said. ‘Now ask them how they came to that conclusion.’

Her eyes went blank. ‘Are you trying to confuse me?’

‘I’m trying to make a point,’ he said. ‘We don’t have to continue down this path. We can both get away from here. All of us can.’

She scoffed. ‘Where would you even go? Back to your parents?’

Ben dropped his head. He didn’t even know whether his parents would survive the day, but if they did, he might. If they would want him back at all. ‘He came for me, didn’t he? My father?’

‘He attacked us,’ Maura snapped. ‘It’s more likely he was trying to kill you. It sure would’ve benefitted the resistance.’

‘Like it would’ve benefitted Snoke to kill me?’ Ben raised an eyebrow. ‘But my father did come for me? Tell me the truth.’

She narrowed her eyes. ‘So that’s what this was about after all? You have to let go of that delusion you have. Your parents will never come for you. They didn’t in six years. If you keep holding on to that sentiment of yours, it will be your downfall. Just ask your grandfather.’

‘I’ll be sure to do that.’

She sighed. ‘I know this is difficult. My parents sold me into slavery and I still care. But you have to accept, your parents don’t care about you. They never have and they would see you destroyed. Supreme leader knows this. That’s why he went as far as he did.’

Ben shook his head. ‘He burned me because I was thinking something he didn’t want me to. He hunted me down because I dared walk away. He had me chained because I wouldn’t return willingly. He had me beaten because I defied him. Then he tortured me because I would not break. How am I not his slave?’

‘This is different,’ she snapped. The walls trembled with each word. ‘This is for your own good, for the good of the universe. Why can’t you see that?’

Ben whistled. ‘Snoke has made you abandon your principles quite thoroughly. Congratulations, you just tried to justify slavery.’

‘Care to repeat that?’ Her voice was flat. Cracks appeared on the ceiling. He wondered what she was trying to achieve with that.

‘You tried to justify slavery.’

At that exact moment, Shyam decided to stumble in. He took one look and took a step back. It was the only thing saving Ben from Maura’s imminent ire. He had pushed every last one of her buttons.

But he was not quite done yet. He had to be sure he got the point across. ‘Now we have some common ground,’ Ben unbuckled his belt, pulling his shirt over his head and turning around. ‘I wonder, did you ever have it this bad?’

When he turned back around, Maura and Shyam were, ironically, looking the other way.

He put his shirt back on. ‘What do you want, Shyam?’

‘The scavenger has awoken.’

 

* * *

 

 

Poe checked the engines one last time. A malfunctioning piston could cause the end of the resistance, and sequentially of all the freedom in the universe. They didn’t want that.

Where had BB-8 gone? He had been there two minutes ago. He’d better be back before this all went down.

The exact moment Poe stuck his head back under the hood, someone cleared their throat. He looked. The senator was waiting below.

She looked like she was plucked straight from a senate meeting-what could very well be the case- leaving her to prance around in full ornate. Her sleeves were too wide to not get in the way and the headdress on her montrals must be giving her some serious neck pain.

‘Poe Dameron?’

‘The one and only,’ he manoeuvred back to the floor.

‘I was given the task to relay sensitive intel,’ the senator said. ‘Would you please come with me?’

‘Will this be quick?’ Poe asked. He was sure this lady wasn’t messing about. You didn’t become a senator by doing so, but he had half an hour left at best.

‘Of course,’ she said, beckoning him with a movement of her head.

Poe followed her out of the hangar and into the corridors. He noted she was massive, the tops of her montrals reaching roughly half a feet above his own head. If she had the sudden compulsion to sit on him, she would win that struggle.

‘In here, please,’ she opened a door, leading to an unused office.

‘Okay, what’s so important?’ Poe made himself comfortable on the nearest chair.

The senator leaned against the desk. ‘This is largely of personal nature to the General. You’re the only one she would trust with this. The current location of her son and the means with which to free him. He is on Starkiller base.’

‘I’m listening,’ Poe leaned back. He hadn’t expected to ever hear from Ben any time soon, if at all, but there was a slight problem. They were going to blow that place to bits. ‘Is Solo going to get him?’

‘Han Solo does not know,’ she continued. ‘If your mission today ends in failure, you will be the only one left in the resistance who knows.’

‘So I’ll have to tell Solo?’

‘Exactly,’ she said. ‘Or if he is killed in action, take over all together. The initial plan is both simple and complex at the same time. What you have to know is that, if this plan succeeds, an external agent will break him out of a medical facility and keep him in custody until someone with the following code comes to retrieve him: CT-7567.’

‘So this agent is a clone?’ Poe asked. CT was an abbreviation for clone trooper. He also wished them good luck keeping Ben in custody.

‘You know your history,’ she said. ‘But no. This agent will go under the name Fulcrum and is currently active on Takodana.

‘That’s from the rebellion’s time,’ Poe got curious. ‘Can you tell me a bit more? It’s confusing’

‘Well, that is the idea,’ she said. ‘But don’t be intimated if you do meet. This agent can be a bit…..theatric.’

‘Sounds fascinating,’ Poe kicked off his chair. ‘But it won’t get that far. We’ll destroy that weapon, but that agent had better hurry up. I don’t want to have to tell Leia I blew up her son.’

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

‘I believe this doctor might be the leak,’ Hux asserted. Dr.Gregor had in all earnestness sworn she had found abnormalities in Ren’s heart graph, indicative of an inborn dysfunction. If Ren truly had an inborn heart defect, he would have already dropped dead during one of his mindless stunt. ‘Her actions are suspicious and she was present during the trial.’

‘Yet, you said she was accounted for every minute after the trial,’ Snoke stated. ‘Perhaps you are simply looking for an easy target to shift the blame unto after your string of failures.’

Hux had to restrain himself. He could hardly be blamed that clandestine recordings of the trial had spread. His men had scoured the room before and after. Nor was it his fault Ren had laughed at pain that would’ve incapacitated a normal man.

‘Deny the transfer,’ Snoke ordered. ‘Now, tell me about these insurgents.’

‘They seem to be the source of the spread of these recordings. The same that attacked our troops on Takodana. We’ve dealt with them before and deemed it a hoax, however,’ Hux swallowed. He was treading dangerous territory. A reasonable oversight might have turned out to be a fatal mistake. _Skywalker._

As soon as the name crossed his mind, Snoke’s leaned back, recoiled almost.

He continued. ‘However, this leader carries laserswords and seems to command the Force.’

‘And you think this is Skywalker,’ Snoke said. ‘Why?’

Hux frowned. How many Force-users were out there? ‘This leader dons a mask fashioned after Darth Vader’s and goes under the moniker _Hero with no fear._ Furthermore, these insurgents emulate tactics employed by the Jedi during the Clone Wars. In addition, they appeared on the planet Ren was captured on and showed support for him by releasing this footage.’

Either Ren had managed to gather the sympathy of another fool who pretended to be Darth Vader or the uncle had come for his nephew, bearing the symbols of his father.

‘Fool,’ Snoke spat. ‘Skywalker might have been working right under our noses the entire time.’

If that were the case, Hux wasn’t sure who was the fool here. He for not having concluded so from the few scraps of intel he had on the matter, or Snoke and Ren for hunting a men who was, in fact, operating right under their noses.

The change in Snoke’s expression suggested he had caught up on that thought.

What he had intended to do about it was would remain a mystery. The doors opened and Maura Ren came in as if she was storming a battlefield.

‘Excellent timing, child,’ Snoke said. ‘It seems the General is incapable of his task. I had hoped you would take it off his hands.’

Hux didn’t bother getting offended at this particular underhanded jab. He’d be more obtuse than Ren if he did not recognise it as a way to stoke hostility. Perhaps this was the time to point out that the lover this girl was so adamant in protecting had allowed the insurgents to escape and subsequently had failed to report on vital details.

‘Of course.’ Her face was concealed but her voice betrayed agitation. ‘What would you have me do?’

‘The outlaws on Takodana have been aided by a band of insurgents,’ Snoke said. ‘We have reason to believe Skywalker may have been among them.’

The girl tilted her head. ‘I doubt it. If Skywalker had returned, we would have noticed.’

‘But the possibility remains,’ Snoke said. ‘And that is not the only reason why I assign you in particular to this mission. There’s strong evidence these insurgents have dealt with slavers.’

Hux had not been aware of that fact. Likely because Snoke had just fabricated it, but this girl would not argue it. If Snoke were to tell these knights one and one were twelve, they’d believe it.

‘Skywalker never did have an aversion to slavery,’ the girl said. ‘Whatever the case, I will wipe them all out.’

‘The General will provide you access to all available intel,’ Snoke said. ‘But you came here with a concern of your own.’

Hux perked his ears while relaying the order through his commlink.

‘Yes, regarding Kylo,’ she said, glancing at him as if willing him to vanish. ‘He’s clinging to the delusion his parents will come for him. Time has proven the contrary, but he can’t seem to accept it.’

‘I remember when I first found you,’ Snoke said. ‘He was so hopeful, I could not bear to tell him the truth, so I let it be. I see now that was a mistake. One I tried to rectify but despite my best efforts, I was unable to. I fear it might be too late now.’

Hux had to suppress the urge to clap at the magnificent performance, but the girl seemed to buy it.

‘I might know a way.’

‘Do tell, child,’ Snoke sighed. ‘I’m at my wit’s end.’

‘Let Organa know Kylo is on this base. I can assure you she will not act on that information. I’d even say she will persist in her attack despite the risks to Kylo.’

‘That is confidential intel,’ Hux reminded her.

‘The entire galaxy knows by now,’ she scoffed. ‘You were quite amusing on those recordings and anyone with substantial cognitive abilities can guess you would not leave your little project.’

‘There’s no point in confirming it,’ Hux bit.

‘The General is right,’ Snoke said. ‘But we can work around that issue. Send Organa the following terms; if her resistance attacks Starkiller base, her son will be eliminated.’

‘Supreme Leader?’ the girl jerked her head up. Hux was equally surprised, although not unpleasantly so.

‘As a ruse, of course,’ Snoke said. ‘A small deception for your master’s sake, but he must not know that, or he might still reject the truth.’

The girl hesitated. ‘But he will not be harmed?’

Was she really this dense? Had she actually been present the last 24 hours?

‘Of course not,’ Snoke said, feigning fondness. ‘After he regains his senses, he’ll be grateful.’

Hux doubted it. People generally didn’t appreciate death threats under any circumstances, but this girl lacked any such intelligence. She nodded.

‘Where is he now?’ Snoke asked.

‘Interrogating the scavenger,’ she said.

‘Bring him here.’

‘As you wish,’ she bowed her head and left.

Hux watched in disbelief. He might as well just shoot Palloyu in the hallways. There was a good chance she wouldn’t even notice. He turned back to Snoke. ‘Is this truly a ruse?’

Snoke bared his teeth. ‘That depends entirely on Ren.’

 

 

* * *

 

 

Rey had awoken to find herself strapped to a tilted platform in a dimly lit room. Her arms and legs were bound with solid steel. After what had seemed to be hours, two men came in. One was masked, but the other one she knew. _Him._

The masked one pulled him aside. ‘No more jokes. You know what will happen.’

‘Fine, just go. I need to concentrate and get this thing off me.’

The masked one reached around his neck and something clicked. He looked own at whatever he had just taken. ‘How did you manage this?’

‘Fell on it.’

The masked one shook his head and left, leaving here alone with _Him. The boy._

‘Where am I?’ she demanded.

He turned to face her. His features were no longer obscured but marred with discolorations. She hadn’t been the only one who he had fought.

‘Starkiller base,’ he said. ‘But I doubt that means anything to you.’

‘Where are my friends?’

‘You’ll be relieved to hear I have no idea,’ he answered, approaching her. a dumbfounded expression passed over his face. ‘You want to kill me. Why?’

‘That happens if you’re hunted by whatever you are.’

‘Why, thank you,’ he said dryly. ‘Tell me about the droid. It will be easier that way.’

‘He’s a BB-unit with a selenium drive and a thermal hyperscan vindicator,’ she listed.

He rolled his eyes. ‘The map. They want the map.’

‘And you don’t?’

‘Preferably, I’d stick it in the garbage disposal,’ he said. ‘But I’ve got neither a choice or the time for this. Try not to struggle.’

His hand hoovered over her face, less than an inch from her skin. Inside her mind, something moved, swirling like the pages of a book. Memories flashed before her eyes. BB-8 stuck in a net. Fighting off Plutt’s thugs. Finn running at her side. The island.

‘You’ve seen it too,’ he retracted his hand. ‘I wasn’t sure.’

‘How are you real?’ she hissed, realising that was a weird question in most contexts. But then again, she was strapped to a table with a manifestation of her childhood dreams looming over her.

He gaped. ‘I’m as confused as you are.’

‘What are you?’

‘I’m like you,’ he said as if in a trance, bringing his hand back above her face. ‘You’re lonely. So afraid to leave. At night, desperate to sleep. The ocean, that island.’

He was skimming her thoughts with the ease of turning pages. She reached for his mind, to push it away. Instead, his memories merged with hers.

The weight of a lightsaber in his hand. The voice of one mentor, soft and calming but distant and fearful. The voice of another, always there, intense and demanding, but unafraid.

‘Get out of my head,’ she bit

He blinked, waking from his trance. ‘You don’t even realise what you just did.’

‘Get away from me.’

‘I don’t enjoy this,’ he closed his eyes, again dipping into her mind. ‘Han Solo? You feel like he’s the father you never had.’ He stopped and sighed. ‘He would have disappointed you.’

‘What would you know?’

‘Just show me the map,’ he said. ‘You know I can take whatever I want.’

‘I’m not giving you anything.’

‘Then so be it,’ he sucked in air.

Pressure built inside her skull, pounding. Then something clicked and the pressure became a connection, their memories feeding into each other.

‘Don’t be afraid,’ he said as if dreaming. ‘I can feel it too.’

She grasped the rawest, most turbulent thing she could find and made it her own. ‘You’re afraid. That you will never be free, that you will be left abandoned.’

He flinched away as if she had bitten him. In another situation, she would have felt pity for him. But he was her enemy. She had simply turned his mind against him like he had done hers.

He stepped back to her, touching her cheek. She was about to pull away when his memories overwhelmed her mind. She felt the wood of a brush between her fingers and she felt how she traced lines, forming letters. Ink soaked into paper. She had never handwritten anything in her life, but it came naturally. But above all, she understood it was just a metaphor.

‘Have fun,’ he whispered into her ear before turning and leaving.

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

‘Got anything?’ Shyam leaned against the wall outside.

‘Nothing,’ Ben said. ‘Unless you want to know what kind of drive the droid had.’

‘Good luck selling that to Snoke,’ Shyam shook his head. ‘How is that even possible?’

‘You said it yourself. Her mind is guarded,’ Ben shrugged. He might have found something if he had kept trying, but he wasn’t particularly inclined to. That left one more problem. ‘The girl you captured. I need you to free her.’

‘Where do you keep picking up these girls?’ Shyam laughed. ‘But I can’t. Better her than you.’

He frowned, a suspicion rising. ‘You knew. You did that on purpose?’

He shrugged. ‘Your Force-echo lingered on her. I don’t like it either, but you’re bound to provoke Snoke within the near future. Now you’ve got someone to take the brunt.’

Ben narrowed his eyes, furious. ‘I would have liked to make that decision myself.’

‘Your decisions don’t usually work out for you,’ he said. ‘I’m trying to keep you alive here.’

‘And how did that go?’

‘I didn’t think it would go this far,’ he argued.

‘I only told you what? Four times?’

‘There’s no point bickering about it,’ Shyam sighed, taking the Mandalorian collar out from under his robes. ‘Stand still.’

‘Marvellous,’ Ben deadpanned, letting him put the damned thing back around his neck. ‘Can I go back to my cell now? I’ve seen enough of your ugly mask.’

‘Not yet,’ Maura appeared out of nowhere. No one was startled. She did that a lot and she might or might not have copied the habit from him. ‘Supreme Leader wishes to speak with you. Did you recover the map?’

‘He didn’t,’ Shyam answered in his stead. ‘Or so he claims.’

‘Don’t try anything,’ she narrowed her eyes at him. ‘Contrary to what you may believe, I’ve got more important things going on than you. You’re not the centre of my universe.’

‘Ouch,’ Shyam whistled.

‘I never said-.’

‘But you act like it,’ she cut him off. ‘I want you on my side, but you don’t define me. Remember that.’

Ben’s mouth fell open. He had already seen Snoke was trying to turn her against him, but the worst was, these grievances weren’t fabricated. He had supported her, but nowhere close to how she had supported him and he had taken it for granted. Snoke was simply magnifying what was already there.

‘Tia?’

She froze, her eyes burning with a vengeance. ‘Don’t ever call me that again.’

‘It’s your name.’

‘ _They_ gave me that name,’ she snapped. ‘Then they sold me into slavery. The girl who wanted to keep that name was weak, foolish and she is gone.’

Ben bit his lip. Yet again, those were his words. ‘And yet, here you stand. You are still that girl, from the temple, who always stood by my side.’

‘Yet you won’t stand at mine and I’ve accepted that,’ she took his hand. ‘But don’t get in my way.’

 

* * *

 

 

Finn tossed the strange balls into a crate. Han had said they would need those, whatever they were.

‘Hey, Finn!’ Han appeared from the entrance to the Falcon. ‘Careful with those. They’re explosives.’

‘Now you tell me?’ Finn shouted in response, taking a step back from the bombs he had been carelessly throwing around. Han just shrugged and went back inside. This was going to be one long hell of a mission.

Finn had half an heart attack when the crate full of explosives shuddered, nearly toppling over. He ducked to steady it. BB-8’s head stuck out from behind it.

‘Careful there, buddy,’ Finn said. ‘Those can explode.’

BB-8 stared at him for a moment and then went on to bleep an entire story.

‘Sorry,’ Finn put the crate out of reach. ‘I still don’t speak that.’

BB-8 started over, just slower this time.

Finn had to guess. ‘Yeah. Good luck to you too.’

BB-8 dropped his head. A hatch on his belly opened and something tumbled out of it. Finn picked it up, with care in case someone else felt like hoisting surprise explosives on him. His eyebrows shot up.

It was another lightsaber. And not just any lightsaber. He was looking at Kylo’s lightsaber or at least an identical one. The openings on the side for the crossbars were unmistakable. He considered activating it to be completely sure. These things could have different colours after all, but he thought it better not to. Han might have a fit.

‘Where did you get this?’

BB-8 did his version of sighing and turned his projector on. Takodana’s woods lit up in a blue image. That made sense. Kylo had been on Takodana the same time they were. He must have lost it in some kind of battle.

‘So you just found it?’

BB-8 shook his head, staring at the image, and shifted the image to infrared. A person appeared inside the image. Finn had trouble figuring out how that worked but he went with what he saw and what he saw was a guy in weird clothing pointing at the ground. The man opened his mouth but only hazy sound carried through the recording. From the movements of his mouth, Finn could make out that he was telling BB-8 not to be afraid and hold on to the lightsaber. BB-8’s manipulator came into the image and picked up the lightsaber. The man disappeared at the same time with no logical explanation of where he could have gone. The recording ended.

‘Weird,’ Finn summarised. ‘Did you know that guy?’

BB-8 shook his head, made a single beep and left. Finn took a better look at the lightsaber. Kylo had always made it seem like there was some mystical, Force-related trick to activating it, but just like the one on Finn’s belt, this one had a button.

He shoved it into his jacket. Rey might need a weapon as well when they would find her and he was sure Kylo wouldn’t mind if they borrowed his. He would give it back to when they found him. If they ever did.


	25. Prison break

‘So?’ Brynda dropped unto the metal slab that was somehow meant to resemble a bed. ‘How you liking your job?’

‘I’m quitting,’ Dale closed the door. ‘You alright?’

‘Yeah,’ she said. ‘Took the numbing pill. Did you? I take it your fake girlfriend’s the only reason you’re not in a torture room or a morgue.’

He looked away. _regret, loss. And love._

‘Oh come on,’ she threw up her hands. ‘Mom warned you.’

‘Don’t do that…mindreading thing,’ he rolled his eyes, defensively. ‘It’s annoying. And don’t you start with me. You fucked up worse.’

‘Oh,’ she cocked her head. ‘Is that possible?’

He raised an eyebrow. ‘Do I look dumb- don’t answer that. I notice when people are wearing my clothes.’

‘You and Steela were right about one thing though,’ Brynda said. ‘There was some mind-fuckery going on there.’ And that was putting it mildly. With Snoke poking around in his brain since he was a kid, it was a miracle Ben hadn’t ended up in the nuthouse. Then again, he kind of had.

‘Isn’t there always?’ Dale blew out air. ‘But we can’t save every sorry kriffer. This is a war. I can’t believe Dad agreed or did you go behind his back again?’

‘We’re adults, I can do what I want,’ she said. ‘And can we skip the pot-kettle routine? How big is this breakout going to be? We’re taking your girlfriend along?’

Dale grimaced. ‘If she knew who I was, there wouldn’t be enough left of me to bring to the morgue.’

‘Bitch,’ she spread her arms. ‘Kylo Ren switched sides with no fuss at all. I’m assuming everyone here secretly wants to beat it.’

‘I’d wish,’ he said. ‘But getting killed by my ex isn’t on my to-do list, so I ain’t risking it. And yes, you heard it right. Ex. I broke up with a knight of Ren, by leaving her a note no less. While at the same time telling her I’m a spy. So I’d really like to get out of here before she finds it.’

‘Wow, stop,’ she held up a hand. ‘You doing what now?’ Mom wouldn’t even remember her stint with security breaches. Dale was going to get it.

‘My cover’s hanging by half a thread,’ Dale rubbed his temples. ‘Never mind, it’s just plain levitating, like that shit shouldn’t be possible. And Steela is under suspicion too. Hux’s lackeys are shadowing her every second. So I’m making sure they know who I am.’

‘So she can stay under the radar,’ Brynda nodded. Steela’s position was better than even Dale’s had been. Anesthetized soldiers blabbed a lot and she could read minds. There was also something vague with twin telepathy. Steela and her twin, Padme the senator, could communicate from distances. Also, it was nice to have a sleeper agent with a lightsaber just in case.

‘But at least I’m going leaving in style,’ Dale said. ‘Hux tried to beat me at my own game and he’s going to regret it.’

That could only mean one thing. ‘He tried to bomb you?’

‘Sabotaged heater,’ Dale nodded. ‘Transferred it to his place.’

‘Classic,’ Brynda snickered. Mom and Dad would be pissed but amused. ‘Any more fun stuff we’re doing on the way out?’

‘I assume this is the part where you try to convince me to bust out your latest pity project.’

Brynda recalled the state Duncy had been in. ‘Do you know what they did to him?’

Dale bit his lip. ‘Beat him half to death, in public. A scam trial.’

‘Can he move?’ she asked. Carrying him through the hallways wasn’t an option. They would need to get creative.

‘Yeah,’ he rubbed the back off his head. ‘I gave him my numbing pill. And then he owned their asses because they couldn’t get him to shut up.’ He laughed. ‘Hilarious. But that’s going to wear off sometime today.’

Brynda rolled her eyes. For his whole _We Can’t Save Everyone_ spiel, he sure liked to try. But it caused some problems. ‘You don’t have yours anymore.’

‘Which is why I’d really like to avoid my pissed ex.’

‘And we have a time restraint.’

‘I’ve got a time restraint,’ Dale corrected. ‘Your stuff is in the vents across this cell and I put the resistance base coordinates into it. I’m going to break your new pal out and meet up with you there.’

‘Sounds good,’ she perked up. That would be child’s play. ‘I’d thought it would take more convincing.’

‘Snoke’s about to blackmail Organa,’ Dale kicked the wall. ‘That was an awkward last convo with my yet-oblivious ex. But yeah, I’m going to break out Kylo karking Ren and drop him at his Mom’s place. Happy?’

‘Delighted. I was afraid I would have to do it myself.’ Nothing Dale could’ve said would’ve convinced her to leave Ben behind. There was only so much anyone could take before they went bonkers. He’d either get killed or broken into becoming a mindless weapon.

Dale groaned. ‘Just snatch a ship before this place gets bombed, and be subtle. I can’t have a lockdown.’

‘Will do,’ she hopped up. ‘Tell him I said Hi.’

 

* * *

 

The images, movements, and sensation raged through Rey’s mind. She steadied her breath, letting the knowledge seep into her mind. There was no way to break the restraints, but she had another idea.

A single soldier was left to guard her, a human whose mind could be influenced. She could influence.

‘You will remove these restraints and leave the cell with the door open,’ she said, picturing the brush moving over paper. It felt as if she had done it a hundred times before. Given the circumstances, she didn’t question it. She just did.

The ink spilled and the words blotched.

‘What did you say?’ the guard turned his head.

‘You will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open,’ she tried again, tempering her efforts.

The letters were incomplete, the lines broken.

‘I’ll tighten those restraints, scavenger scum,’ the rude guard said, stomping towards her.

Rey let the borrowed memories guide her. ‘You will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open.’

The ink formed perfect, twirled lines.

‘I will remove these restraints and leave this cell with the door open?’ the guard echoed. He stalked to the control panel and pressed a button. The restrains plopped open and he left.

‘And you’ll drop your weapon,’ she added.

‘And I’ll drop my weapon.’ Something thudded. Hopefully, the weapon.

She waited a few seconds and dropped the platform. Picking up the blaster, she took a quick peek into the hallway. Empty.

She ran.

 

* * *

 

 

‘The scavenger resisted you?’ Snoke scoffed.

‘I don’t know how,’ Ben lied. ‘I don’t believe any further attempts will be successful.’ Especially considering Rey would’ve already scrammed if she had gotten his hint.

‘I encountered the same problem,’ Shyam intervened. ‘I suspect she is strong with the Force. It’s not unheard of for someone to be unaware of their own power.’

‘Perhaps,’ Snoke said, uncharacteristically calm. Ben smelled another trap. ‘Maura, what do you think of this?’

There it was.

‘I’d say he’s deceiving us,’ Maura replied. ‘The weakness he holds for his parents have planted seeds of doubt about the righteousness of our cause in his mind.’

Slowly, she was drifting away. If Snoke had his way, she’d be beyond his reach before long.

‘Yes, such a shame,’ Snoke said. ‘You have told me about these delusions he holds. Has the message been sent?’

Ben sighed. It had already come so far. Snoke had already gotten her to report on his vulnerabilities.

‘Yes,’ she said. ‘As expected, no answer.’

He looked at her. At the doubt in her eyes. ‘What have you done?’

It had hardly been more than a whisper, but she flinched away as he had shouted.

‘We have sent your mother an ultimatum,’ Snoke gloated. ‘If her resistance attacks this base, your life will be forfeit. I think you already know what her choice will be.’

Even if he had wanted to, Ben couldn’t have brought himself to react. He knew exactly what she would choose. He should’ve felt fear, but there was only a bitter emptiness.

‘Maura? What is this?’ Shyam demanded. ‘You knew?’

‘Believe me,’ Snoke shook his head. ‘I would regret losing a student so promising in such a way.’

‘How about you don’t kill him then?’ Shyam stepped up, taking off his mask. ‘Yet again, I see no point in this. What is the intention? If you want him dead say so. We’re all tired of the games.’

Ben’s jaw dropped. Finally, Shyam had dropped his passivity and began thinking from himself. If only he would think of leaving before Snoke would make him pay for his defiance.

‘I fear it’s out of my hands,’ Snoke sighed, almost convincingly so. ‘I have to serve the interests of the First Order before anything else and with every means at my disposal.’

‘But there’s no reason to carry out a threat against a dead woman,’ Maura interrupted, distraught. ‘And neither can a dead woman lead him astray.’ There was no doubt Snoke had fed her some lies about how this was just a little act to scare him into compliance. But Snoke was going to turn it to his advantage, whether that’d be breaking his will or killing him. And nothing was going to break his will.

‘Then let us hope this weapon succeeds,’ Snoke said. ‘But I’m afraid there’s nothing I can teach him anymore whatever way this goes.’

‘What do you want from me?’ Ben demanded.

Snoke bared his teeth. ‘You’ve known for years what tests stand before you. Your mother will die today, but another remains. Do you have the strength to free yourself from your weakness?’

Ben opened his mouth to lie, to survive, but now, the mere thought made him sick. The words caught in his throat.

‘I see,’ Snoke leaned back on his throne. ‘I can only hope death will finally set you free.’

‘He’ll come to his senses,’ Maura said.

‘We shall see,’ Snoke said. ‘Have the scavenger interrogated by alternative means and have your master returned to his cell.’

‘Yes, Supreme leader,’ Maura pressed her commlink. A bunch of troopers came marching in. To relay the last order, she simply waved in his direction.

The troopers crowded around him, one of them poking a blaster into his back. He mockingly held his hands above his head. At the same time, both Maura’s and Shyam’s commlinks bleeped.

‘The scavenger has escaped,’ Shyam stated with a tinge of thin-veiled amusement. ‘By the use of what seems to be a mind trick.’

‘Oh dear,’ Ben followed Palloyu’s example. If he was going down, he was going to kick as many shins as possible on the way. ‘Strong with the Force after all. I guess finding Luke’s off the table. One less relative to kill.’

‘Get him out of here,’ Maura snarled.

The troopers shoved him. He glanced back, at Maura and Shyam. It might be the last time he saw them. He just hoped they’d find their way out. The door closed between them.

Ben let the trooper lead him away. Inside his mind, he reached out for his grandfather, but no answer came.

Before Ben could even wonder why, two troopers were tossed aside. He barely kept himself standing as Dr.Gregor walked straight into him. At least the painkiller was still active.

The datapad she had been reading so attentively dropped to the floor, screen up.

‘I’m so sorry,’ she picked it up. ‘I wasn’t looking where I was going.’

‘Understood,’ Ben said. ‘As you were.’

The troopers didn’t dare complain. They had to be nice to her if they wanted their next scratch treated. She nodded and continued her way.

Ben remembered someone from his childhood, a girl with black hair and a red face. Shortly after the Force had awoken in him, she had been one of the handful who had still wanted to play with him. And she only ever wanted to play one game; she’d play a music note and he had to guess what letter in the Togruti alphabet represented it. He had never learned a single word of Togruti, but even now, he knew the script by heart.

On the doctor’s datapad, stood a single sentence of basic transcribed in Togruti.

**The resistance is with you.**

 

 

* * *

 

Leia read the message, over and over. She knew Snoke was a monster, but she hadn’t expected this. She should have.

**We hold the son of General Organa in our custody. If the resistance moves against us, he will be terminated immediately and without mercy.**

Withholding their attacks was not an option, they would all be wiped out and Snoke knew this. It was a cruel game.

Her birth father had said Snoke wanted Ben alive and she had believed without further consideration. One did not pour thirty years into creating a human weapon only to dispose of him at the first hitch. It had to be a bluff. Or maybe Snoke had decided Ben had become more trouble than he was worth. Nothing more dangerous than your own weapon turning against you.

Whatever the case, she could not succumb to threats. But she needed confirmation, to know Ben would be safe before she could bring herself to proceed. She opened her mind.

‘You’re getting the hang of this,’ he appeared in a flash. ‘Quicker than Luke did anyway.’

‘What’s happening over there?’ she asked, leaning back from the screen. ‘Has he escaped yet?’

‘Soon,’ he walked to the screen, hands folded behind his back. ‘The initial plan seems to have failed, but the second is well underway. I estimate it will take less than an hour.’ He stopped and frowned at the screen. ‘Steela told me about this. I didn’t think they would act this fast.’

‘Is it a bluff?’

‘A mind game. Aimed at Ben, not at you. Although I doubt they’d mind the collateral damage.’ He paused. ‘They want him to believe you’ve abandoned him.’

Leia clenched her fists. ‘A cruel game indeed.’

‘Yes,’ he glanced at the ground. ‘I’m doing all I can but Snoke keeps breaking through the defences. ’

‘We all did,’ Leia shook her head. ‘And we all failed. I should’ve never sent him away.’

Snoke had no doubt been distorting Ben’s perception, but he had worked with what was already there. What she had given him to work with.

‘We can’t always predict where our choices lead us. Snoke may have succeeded either way,’ her birth father said. ‘But I there’s anyone to blame for that, it is me. I opened up that path. But I swear, I will help him find his way off it.’

She looked at him, really looked at him for the first time. His story had given her hope that even those who had fallen to the deepest darkness could find their way back. That her son would one day return to her. ‘Can you give him a message?’

‘Of course.’

‘Tell him I won’t give up on him and he can always come home, no matter what happens.’

‘I will,’ he promised. ‘And he does miss you, even if he doesn’t want to admit it.’

‘I know,’ she said. She had sensed it through the Force. Small waves of regret. It had faded over time but never ceased.

And right after the destruction of the republic, she had sensed it so fiercely she couldn’t have denied it if she had tried.

‘I can sense he’s in distress,’ Anakin said. She noted the change in her own thoughts. ‘I need to go.’

She nodded. He reached out and put a hand on the back of her head. This time, she didn’t stop him. He pressed a kiss on her forehead. Then he was gone.

 

* * *

 

Ben stared at the plate of food left in his cell. Why did they even bother? They were going to kill him anyway.

‘Try to eat.’

He looked up, seeing Grandfather had returned. ‘Back already?’

‘I spoke to your mother.’

‘Let me guess. She’ll be sending a formal apology for me losing my head?’

Grandfather sighed. ‘You still underestimate a parent’s love. Have some faith in her.’

‘Yeah, maybe she’ll show up and toss Snoke into a reactor,’ Ben joked, slipping the dice out of his pocket. Had he noticed they were still there earlier, he would’ve wondered why no one had taken them. Now, it was to assume Dr.Gregor was playing the long game. But, although he appreciated the support, there was nothing she could do without blowing her cover, and no sleeper agent would do that for an enemy defector.

‘Would be entertaining,’ Grandfather nodded. ‘And she would if she could. She wanted to know that she won’t give up on you and she’ll be waiting for you to come home.’

‘But there’s nothing she can do,’ Ben countered. ‘Not attacking would mean the end of the resistance.’

‘Ben, listen.’

‘And she won’t abandon the base, meaning she’d die,’ Ben added. ‘She doesn’t have a choice at this point. Besides, Snoke will kill me anyway.’

‘Ben.’

‘And I haven’t exactly given her any reason to want me back. I turned against her,’ Ben concluded. ‘Seems I’ll be joining you soon enough, Grandpa.’

‘Ben!’

Ben flinched. That was the first time Grandfather had raised his voice at him. ‘What?’

‘First, don’t talk like that,’ he said. ‘Second, there will be someone walking through that door any second to break you out. Now, eat. You’ll need your strength.’

‘Oh,’ Ben dropped his shoulders. Dr.Gregor’s message didn’t seem to be just emotional support after all. ‘Sorry.’

Grandfather gestured at the plate. ‘You will survive this, as will Leia. I assure you.’

Ben nodded awkwardly, picking through the pieces of bread. His stomach twisted. ‘What will they do about the weapon?’

‘Your father will disable the shields from the inside. He’s yet unaware you are here,’ he explained. ‘But if he’s as skilled in this as he is in smuggling, the resistance will come in and destroy the thermal oscillator. By which time, you should already be gone.’

‘That will destabilise the planet,’ Ben said.

‘More precisely, it will implode.’

‘And Dad? Will he be out on time?’

‘If he’s smart about it, with ease.’

Ben nodded, but something bothered him. ‘I didn’t sense him back on Takodana. What does that mean?’ _Was the connection broken?_

‘Nothing,’ Grandfather looked to the side. ‘That was my doing. I feared you wouldn’t go near your father if you knew. I admit that was-.’

‘Oh, why. Thanks,’ Ben deadpanned. That was one mystery solved.

They both fell silent when the doors whirred. A single stormtrooper came stumbling in. Apparently, unaccustomed to the visor of his helmet. It was a common issue among cadets. But chances were this was no cadet.

‘Came to kill me?’ Ben asked tentatively to avoid accidental snitching.

‘Don’t get too excited,’ the trooper pulled his helmet off. Palloyu’s face came out from under it.

‘You survived your demotion?’ Ben knitted his brow.

‘Nah, I’m quitting,’ Palloyu said. ‘And you’re coming with me.’

‘Oh, you’re defecting too,’ Ben guessed. ‘If we wait a little longer, we’ll get back-up.’

Grandfather cleared his throat. ‘Try to say his name out loud.’

He knew Palloyu’s name was ridiculous, but what had that got to do with anything? Then he felt like hitting himself in the head. ‘Never mind. You’re resistance.’

‘Bingo,’ Palloyu, probably not his name, but for clarity’s sake, said. ‘I began to wonder how obvious I would need to get.’

‘And Dr.G-.’

Palloyu cut him off. ‘Don’t ever mention that to anyone.’

‘Got it,’ Ben nodded. ‘You mind if we pick up someone on the way out?’

If he was leaving this damned snowball, Brynda was coming with him. She had come for him, he wasn’t leaving her behind now.

‘Bryn’s fine,’ Palloyu said. ‘She should be halfway out.’

He blinked. ‘You know her? Are you from her… network?’

‘And she’s been talking too much again,’ he sighed. ‘I’ll give you a hint. You’re wearing my clothes.’

‘You’re her brother,’ Ben concluded. For some reason, he wasn’t particularly surprised. Maybe he had just run out of surprise for the day, maybe it was just the attitude.

Grandfather chuckled. ‘I didn’t know that.’

‘So put these on,’ Palloyu handed him a pair of restraints. ‘They’re fake, don’t worry. We’re going to hop into the nearest TIE-fighter and disappear.’

He stood. This was golden. They’d coincidentally staged a triple prison break, Hux’s adjutant had been screwing him over right under his nose and this place was going to blow.

‘Act realistically,’ Palloyu said. ‘As far as anyone else is concerned, you’re walking to your death.’

Ben smirked. Snoke was going to have one hell of a bad day.

 

* * *

 

Han waited while the Falcon raced through hyperspace. Chewie sat beside him and Finn was in the back, messing with Luke’s old lightsaber.

‘Don’t trash anything,’ Han called when Big Deal got a little too close to slicing a wall. He considered finding him one of those droids that old Ben had used to give Luke a run for his money all those years ago.

Finn gave him a guilty look and put the lightsaber away. ‘So how are we getting in?’

‘Their shields have a fractional refresh rate. Keeps anything traveling slower than lightspeed from getting through,’ Han explained. He didn’t point out the obvious. Big Deal was jumpy enough as it was.

‘We’re making the landing approach at lightspeed,’ Finn yelped. He should’ve waited until after landing to explain

‘Hell, yeah,’ Chewie confirmed.

‘Alright, get ready, Chewie,’ Han said, pulling the yoke back the moment they dropped out of hyperspace. The gravitational pull was insane. The Falcon responded just in time to avoid crashing into the planet’s surface.

‘Pull up,’ Chewie nagged.

‘I am pulling up,’ Han yelled as the Falcon cut through treetops.

‘Pull up,’ Chewie repeated. ‘You’re taking half the planet with you.’

‘Any higher and they’ll see us,’ Han explained. Before him, the forest opened up and made way for bare tundra. Snow, instead of trees, was blown into the air.

He turned off the engines. The Falcon slid over the snow and came to a halt against a pile of boulders. Any landing you can walk away from is a good one.

‘See? We’re fine,’ Han looked over to Finn, who was latched onto the couch. Big Deal muttered something under his breath that Han didn’t bother to understand. Chewie grabbed his bag of explosives and headed out.

Once they were all outside, Han noted clouds formed when breathed. This place was even colder than the time he had dragged Luke out of the snow and into a Tauntaun in the middle of the night.

‘This way,’ Finn ran to a building buried underneath the snow. If Han hadn’t happened to be looking that way, he wouldn’t have seen it.

They took cover behind the small part that stuck out above the snow. Han peeked around the corner. A line of walkers moved in the distance. Someone wasn’t taking any chances.

‘The flooding tunnels are over that ridge. We'll get in that way,’ Finn explained, pointing at something.

‘What was your job when you were based here?’ Han asked. That much would be nice to know.

‘Sanitation,’ Finn said completely seriously.

Han pinned him against the wall. He couldn’t have heard that right. ‘Sanitation?’

Finn made no attempt to correct him.

‘How do you know how to deactivate the shields?’

‘I don’t,’ Finn shrugged. ‘I’m just here to get Rey.’

Han’s eyebrows shot up. ‘People are counting on us. The galaxy is counting on us.’

They would’ve gotten Rey anyway at some point. Han had been planning on it, but saving the galaxy was the priority. Leia was going to kill him.

‘Hey Solo,’ Finn said. ‘We’ll figure it out. We’ll use the Force.’

‘That’s not how the Force works,’ he snapped. He was no expert. If he had been, his kid wouldn’t have been in the mess he was in. But if it was that easy, Leia could’ve just wished this wannabe Death Star away.

‘Why didn’t you tell me to bring a coat?’ Chewie interrupted. ‘I’m cold.’

‘You’re cold?’ Han echoed. The fuzzball had a coat growing on him.

‘Come on,’ Finn used the interruption to get off the hook and ran. Han followed, complaining internally at every step.

 

* * *

 

The ventilation shafts made Brynda claustrophobic. A place this big and they hadn’t even build shafts large enough to comfortably accommodate a human being.

Her utility belt with self-made toys hung on its familiar spot. Dale had even left a new blaster with it. Which was nice considering her last one had been full of sand. And as promised, the resistance’s coordinates were checked into her commlink.

_Now, where was the exit?_

She did what she always did when she didn’t know what to do. Stop thinking and keep moving. Somehow, it had always worked out.

The sixth grating she passed was different from the rest. She couldn’t tell in what way. Maybe it had less rust on it. Maybe it smelled weird. Maybe the magic microbes were telling her. She never knew.

But she had been right, because on the other side, Solo and his Wookie pal were busy harassing Phasma.

 

* * *

 

‘The longer we’re here, the less luck we’re going to have,’ Han said. ‘What are we going to do about the shields?’

‘I have an idea about that,’ Finn answered. He waited for Chewie to return from hiding the trooper they had run into. Han grinned when he got the gist. It came down to making someone else do it. Those were the best plans.

Finn led them through the building, peeking around every corner before turning it. ‘There she is,’ he said after a while.

Han took a peek himself. As if the white armour wasn’t noticeable enough, this one was wearing a gold-coloured version of it. These people were just asking to get shot.

The fancy stormtrooper turned and came their way. Han stepped aside to let Chewie through.

Chewie braced himself, waited a few seconds and jumped, taking the fancy sod with him. Han checked if no one had seen them and followed.

Finn shoved his blaster into the trooper’s face. ‘Remember me?’

‘FN-2187,’ the lady- it was a woman, he wouldn’t have been able to tell- said. Low blow.

‘It’s Finn and I’m in charge now.’ He repeated that last part three times. Han couldn’t blame him. he had never liked his old bosses either, but they had a job to do.

‘Bring it down,’ he shoved the blaster aside. ‘Where do we take her?’

‘This way,’ Finn indicated, disappointed his venting had to come to an end.

They ended up in front of a massive door.

‘We need her clearance,’ Finn said.

‘Hurry up,’ Han gestured with his blaster. Chewie growled, emphasising his presence. The lady looked at each of them before entering a code. Han half-expected alarms to start blaring, but the doors opened without a hitch.

Chewie shoved the lady towards the control panel Finn pointed at. The poor lady didn’t stand a chance. Finn seemed beyond amused.

‘Want me to blow that bucket off your head?’ he pointed his blaster before the lady reasonably had had the change to do anything. ‘Lower the shields.’

‘You’re making a big mistake,’ the lady said, not being in the position to make threats. Han cocked his blaster to add to Finn’s momentum. The lady slammed some buttons.

‘Shields deactivate,’ a mechanic voice said with a matching notification popping up on the screen.

‘Solo,’ Finn whispered in his ear. ‘If this works, we’re not going to have a lot of time to find Rey.’

‘Don’t worry,’ Han assured him. ‘We’re not leaving without her.’

No one was getting left behind. He considered beating up some troopers into telling him where they were holding Ben, but Leia had been specific. Still, the urge was strong.

‘You can’t be as stupid to think this will be easy,’ the fancy stormtrooper grumbled. The screen indicated it was, in fact, that easy. ‘My troops will storm this block and kill you all.’

A grin grew on Han’s face. ‘Is there a garbage chute around here? A trash compactor?’

‘Yeah, there is,’ Finn nodded with a grin of his own. Han could only begin to imagine the satisfaction.

The fancy stormtrooper turned her head in offence. She didn’t seem to be looking forward to her trip into a trash heap. Strange, given her choice of employment. She should feel right at home.

Chewie was as amused as Finn was and gave the lady a shove. Finn led the way to the garbage chute. Together, they unceremoniously threw the lady into it. Every day had its highlights.

Behind them, something clattered, followed by a thud. Han swirled around and aimed his blaster, immediately lowering it.

 _I’d be damned_.

‘Easy Solo. Same side,’ Smirking Tree lady held up her hands. ‘Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten me already?’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm slowly preparing for the last movie to either invalidate or support everything I've written so far the next week. Probably the first, though. :)


	26. The unexpected

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For all those still recovering from the TROS ending.

With every step he took, more heads turned. In the meantime, Palloyu was getting a little too enthusiastic pushing him around and Grandfather spoke encouragements in his mind.

Ben didn’t need to act overwhelmed. He was overwhelmed.

To make things worse, Hux’s dumb face was waiting around the very next corner, said dumb face being twisted with sadistic satisfaction. ‘Good to see the last of you, Ren.’

‘Sir,’ Palloyu heightened the pitch of his voice. ‘I have orders to transport him without delay.’

Hux fell for it. ‘Well, hurry up.’

They walked past him. Ben kept his gaze to the floor, fearing his amusement his amusement would show. Once again, they were just doing stuff and nobody noticed.

‘I’ll be sure to send your remains to your mother. If she somehow survives the day.’

Ben was well aware that she most likely would and he had the benefit of knowing he was being taken into a TIE-fighter and not out of the back. So he had no reason to react to the provocation, but Palloyu had told him to act realistically and the last thing he would do was walk to his death quietly.

But rationalisations aside, Hux had crossed the line.

Ben spat at him and lurched, screeching. No words, just screeching. Palloyu held him back as Hux was visibly torn between his two primary modes, fleeing or retaliating. A second later, Palloyu yanked him back by the scruff of his neck with no effort whatsoever. Now he thought about it, the borrowed shirt was a bit on the wide side.

‘Apologies, Sir,’ Palloyu dragged him along like a little kid. ‘What the hell, mate?’

‘For realism’s sake.’

Palloyu stifled a chuckle. ‘You want to know what my resignation notice is? He tried to set me up with it first.’

‘Let me guess. A tragic accident?’

‘Yup, the kind that goes boom.’

They went into an empty elevator. Palloyu helped him out of the fake restraints and said. ‘We’re making a B-line for the nearest TIE-fighter. Don’t think, just walk.’

‘Yeah,’ he nodded. ‘Is Maura in league?’

He groaned. ‘No, don’t ask. We don’t have the time.’

‘I sure hope you weren’t using her.’ If he had been, Ben might have to apologise to Brynda for tossing her brother out of a TIE-fighter.

‘Dial down the big brother mode, would you,’ Palloyu said. ‘I’m saving your ass here.’

‘Sure,’ Ben side-eyed him. ‘Has the scavenger escaped yet?’

‘No,’ Palloyu sighed. ‘They’re hunting her, but we can’t save everyone. She’s free to hitch a ride, but we can’t go looking for her.’

Giving her what she’d needed to escape, had seem like a good idea at the time, but she was his responsibility now and the things they would do to her if they caught her wouldn’t be remotely pretty. He took the dice from his pocket. ‘Give this to my mother, would you?’

Palloyu took it, frowning. ‘You can do that yourself.’

‘And tell Brynda I’ll wait up on Takodana.’

‘What? No,’ Palloyu said. ‘First of all, Takodana’s a warzone-.’

‘I’ll figure it out,’ he interrupted. The elevator had nearly reached its destination.

‘Ben, don’t,’ Grandfather cautioned. ‘That’s a bad idea.’

‘Stop being a fuckwit,’ Palloyu said. Same sentiment, different wording.

Ben tried to look like he’d conceded and waited until the doors opened. He shoved Palloyu out off the elevator, simultaneously closing the doors. ‘See ya.’

 

 

* * *

 

 

Hux put a safe distance between himself and the war dog gone rabid. Snoke had done well in deciding to put Ren down. Although it was rather abrupt. The notification hadn’t even reached yet. But is was no surprise. Everyone knew Ren had somehow aided in the escape of the scavenger.

Finding her was the next problem, but fortunately not his. That task fell to the knight.

As if they had heard his thoughts, the knights appeared from around the corner, deep in a heated discussion. Nothing inspired new loyalty like twisting the old ones and Snoke had done a magnificent job at that. Maura Ren was a puppet on a string. Shyam Ren might become a problem after all. Where he had been a pliable pawn under Ren’s command, he was now proving resistant to the treatment of his master. Hux was looking forward to see how Snoke intended to solve that.

Shyam Ren straightened himself and stormed off. The girl recovered herself and turned to Hux. ‘General. Perfect timing. I had a few question for you.

‘Yes?’ Hux had hoped that she would be caught in the explosion meant for her lover. Although Snoke was unlikely to approve of such collateral damage.

‘You were the one to report the one leading the insurgents on Takodana might be Skywalker, were you not?’

Her amusement did not escape him. ‘I was. What of it?’

‘Did you personally review the footage?

‘Without question.’

‘Thus, you would suggest Skywalker had a change of faith?

He frowned. ‘Excuse me?’

‘Well you see, this leader wields red lightsabers, Sith weapons,’ she said. ‘Skywalker would not touch those. You were aware of this, right? It’s basic knowledge.’

Hux could not possibly care less which cult used which colours to identify themselves. ‘Then, who are we dealing with?’

‘I don’t know,’ she said. ‘But to alter a lightsaber in such a way, one needs to be strong with the darkside. Moreso, this leader summoned lightning in the footage.’

‘Yes, not unheard of, I believe.’

‘Only the ones strongest in the dark side have the ability,’ she narrowed her eyes. ‘Aside from our Supreme Leader, only Sith have been known to use it.’

‘Sith?’

‘Yes,’ she said, tilting her head. ‘You do know what those are? Darth Sidious. Darth Maul, Darth Vader. It’s in the history archive. There lineage went extinct with Darth Vader and no one has been foolish enough to try and revive their practices. However, it seems we’ve found ourselves one such fool.’

‘But the Sith were aligned with the empire,’ Hux said. ‘Why is this one opposing us?’

‘No, the Sith were the empire. They know no loyalty. Many of them had lost themselves to the dark side, being no more than empty, mindless creatures.’

‘As I am so ignorant of the matter, allow me to ask a question,’ Hux mocked. ‘How does this differ from you knights?’

The veil concealed her face, but he saw the rage underneath. ‘We command the dark side. It does not command us. There was a reason the old Jedi referred to the Sith as “the fallen”. Imagine a wild beast with no limits on their powers and only a single goal.’

He swallowed. An adversary equal to Darth Vader or the emperor would indeed be dire. ‘Are you sure? Could this not be a simple trick? This leader was deemed a charlatan before.’

‘No, this could not be faked. This leader is exceptionally strong in the Force. We must assume this is, in fact, a Sith and proceed with extreme caution,’ she said. ‘Governments tend to topple where they appear.’

‘We must inform Snoke immediately,’ Hux concluded. ‘This man has to be dealt with.’

The girl laughed. ‘That leads me to my next question. Did you think Skywalker took up crossdressing? This leader is a woman.’

 

 

* * *

 

 

Solo stumbled over his tongue and the wookie glared at her. The ex-stormtrooper was downright confused.

‘Weren’t you on Takodana?’ He waved his finger at her.

‘Yup, right before you ran off,’ Brynda confirmed. ‘I was just about to congratulate you on successfully giving the First Order the middle finger.’

‘Thanks,’ he smiled. ‘I’m keeping up the good work.’

‘I can see that,’ she shut the garbage chute. There was no way of knowing what would come crawling out.

Solo finally managed words. ‘What are you doing here? How did you even get here?’

‘Got caught,’ she shrugged. ‘Are you done here?’

As far as she knew, Solo wasn’t even aware his son had become a captive boxing ball. Hell, he had been staring straight at Ben and hadn’t even had a clue.

‘We’re freeing my friend,’ the ex-stormtrooper said, turning to the wookie. ‘Chewie, still got those explosives? We’re going to blow our way into the detention block.’

‘Wow, hold up. That’s excessive,’ she remarked. ‘How about I hack into the control panels and open the door for you? A little subtlety goes a long way.’

‘Great,’ he nodded, then frowned at Solo. ‘Why are you doing that? What does that mean?’

Solo was jabbing his chin at the glass wall behind them. In hindsight, they should’ve probably moved a bit before having a chat. She turned to get a better look. Someone was climbing along the opposite wall.

‘Is that her?’

The ex-trooper answered in the form of running away without a word, Chewie in tow. She moved to follow but Solo grabbed her arm.

‘Do you know where Ben is?’ _Dread, desperation, guilt._

Ben’s resentment when he had said Solo hadn’t wanted him was fresh in her memory, mostly because of the longing buried underneath. She had willed the midi-chlorians to reduce Snoke to dust when he had told her Snoke had been pushing him into killing Solo. Too bad it didn’t work like that.

She had read about that sort of thing. Recruit a vulnerable target, let’s say a young guy hoisted off to his uncle, only for said uncle to try and kill him, and manipulate them into killing for you, preferably their family so they had nothing left to return. And voila, they’d be loyal forever through their sacrifice, or more precisely, the fear that sacrifice had been for nothing. Cults and extremists loved it. Entire armies had been built that way. It made her sick in the stomach.

She made a split-second decision. Ben could decide later whether he was going to thank her or not, but no one was going to benefit from leaving Solo in the dark. ‘He was here, but a resistance agent broke him out and as soon as we knew this thing won’t fire, he’ll be brought to the resistance.’

Solo gasped. ‘Is he alright? Did they hurt him?’

She bit her lip. He didn’t need to know the full extent yet. ‘They always do that.’

He narrowed his eyes, but his expression could never live up to the unadulterated rage he emitted. ‘Good, you’re coming with us.’

‘That was the idea, thank you,’ she smiled. Even though something told her they weren’t getting out of here without a fight. That’d better not be the midi-chlorians.

 

* * *

 

Han hurried to the others. Tree lady lagged behind, messing with some kind of device. That’d better be important. If she got left behind because she was playing a game, he wasn’t going back for her.

Or maybe he would. He suspected he owed her quite a bit, but that story would have to wait until they were back in the Falcon. This had gone better than he thought. All the kids were safe. Time to go home.

Finn yelped. Rey had come around the corner with a raised blaster. Not only had she escaped, she had snatched a blaster while at it. Finn should spend more time worrying about himself.

‘You alright,’ he asked. She seemed fine, but with the First Order, you never knew.

‘Yeah,’ she said, her chin trembling.

‘What happened?’ Finn asked. ‘Did they hurt you?’

‘Finn?’ Rey’s mouth fell open. ‘What are you doing here?’

Fair enough, the last time she’d seen him, Big Deal had been on his way to the Outer Rim.

We came back for you,’ Finn explained. Chewie confirmed Finn had indeed helped out here and there, mostly improvisation.

‘He said it was your idea,’ Rey said, ready to burst into tears. She threw her arms around Finn’s neck. ‘Thank you.’

Finn returned the hug. ‘How did you get away?’

That was a good question. The kid knew her stuff, but escaping the First Order was an entirely different story. He had done it a few times and it wasn’t easy.

That answer would have to do for now. He felt kind of bad about breaking up the reunion, though. ‘Escape now, hug later.’

‘Uhm,’ Tree lady budded in. ‘We have a tiny problem. The place is on lockdown. Too many people escaped their cell.’

That was good to hear. He knew Leia would come through.

‘I can work around that,’ Finn said. Hopefully, it was a better plan than _We’ll Use The Force._

‘Wait,’ Rey frowned. ‘Weren’t you..?’

‘On Takodana,’ Tree lady confirmed.

‘Don’t ask her name,’ Han warned. ‘She’s going to lie anyway.’ Tree lady did her signature smirk.

Finn gestured for them to move. ‘We’re going through the groundhangar. They never shut that one down. They just put a big lock on the door and someone just happened to tell me she can get those open.’

‘Finally,’ Tree lady hopped past Han and pelted Finn with questions about mechanics. She seemed disappointed. ‘But that’s easy,’ she muttered.

Han knew better than to complain things were too easy. It was asking for something to prove you wrong.

Finn led them through the maze of corridors until they ended up in front of a door made of solid durasteel.

Tree lady fished something from her belt and went to work. ‘Okay, hairy guy. I’m going to overload the circuits. I need you to wring it open before it can reset itself.’ Her new device rammed its hooks into the door and she pressed the large, red button in the middle. The durasteel crackled a single time. ‘Now.’

Chewie dug his claws into the door and tore it open. With one last tug, he tossed the doors aside.

‘Why didn’t you tell me you could just do that?’ she dropped her shoulders. ‘It would’ve saved time.’

‘You seemed so happy about having something to do,’ Chewie joked.

‘Uh?’ she blinked while dislodging her device from the crumpled door. Another language barrier. Just what they needed.

‘What’s that?’ Rey asked.

‘Nice, right?’ Tree lady held up her toy, ‘Sends a shockwave through whatever it’s connected with. Made it myself.’

Chewie dug his claws into the door and tore it open, crumpling it. He gave one last pull and tossed the door aside.

Tree lady dropped her shoulders. ‘Why didn’t you say you could do that? It would’ve saved time.’

Chewie grinned. ‘You seemed so happy about having something to do.’

‘Huh?’ she tilted her head, retrieving her overload device. Great. Another language barrier.

‘What is that thing?’ Rey asked, staring at the device.

‘Move it,’ Han urged.

The door led to a balcony hanging over, indeed, a groundhangar. No ships, just trucks and cargo.

‘Who’s that?’ Rey asked, pointing at a figure in a black cloak. Han took a deep breath. Amazing. It was that knight of Ren, the one who had been slashing a metal cord at Maz’s people, accompanied by  half a squad of troopers

‘Maura Ren,’ Finn explained. ‘You didn’t see her when you got captured?’

‘No, I got captured by someone else and knocked unconscious,’ Rey frowned. ‘How are we getting past her?’

‘Still got those explosives, Chewie?’ Han asked. He wasn’t about to take chances with that one. It occurred to him he had never heard the name Maura before. Had they all changed their names?

‘What is it with Solo’s and picking the most noticeable way of escaping?’ Tree Lady asked. Her face suggested Ben had pulled some stunts on her she hadn’t appreciated. ‘And assume that lady down there is pissed. Like “Lover broke up through a note saying he’s a double agent” kind of pissed.’

That was awfully specific.

‘Wait,' Tree lady said, messing with her first device. 'They're leaving, they're leaving.' Indeed, the knight and her troopers let. 'And they're gone. Something about a hidden alarm being tripped in an off-limits hallway near here. Could've been us though. Might want to hurry.'

 

 

* * *

 

 

Finn waited on his turn to go down the ladder. Han had gone first to scan the area. When nothing began shooting, Rey followed. Finn moved aside to let the gadget lady pass, but she shook her head.

‘Noobies first.’ He didn’t stay to cross-reference their track record and climbed down. Gadget lady had no such patience. As soon as he had joined Han and Rey behind a stack of cargo, she just slid down the ladder. It was definitely faster, but it was a miracle she hadn’t fallen off. Chewie closed the line, having to crouch to keep his head below the cover of the stack.

‘When I say go, we go for the door,’ Han said. ‘Don’t stop and stick close, but if we get split up, head for the Falcon and we’ll meet up there. There’s no time for another rescue before this place blows.’

Gadget lady gasped. ‘She knows we’re here.’

‘Who does?’ Han frowned.

‘Her,’ she pointed to the entrance. The door rose up. That couldn’t be good. ‘Remind me to kick my brother the next time I see him.’

Finn didn’t know what her brother had done and he didn’t care at the moment. He was too busy estimating the number of legs visible on the other side. A few too many for his taste.

‘Go,’ Han said, taking out his blaster. The rest followed his example as they hurry-sneaked to the exit.

Maura Ren stalked in, not looking pleased. Not that you could tell from her face. It was concealed, but her weapon was out, a metal whip burning a trail into the floor where she walked. Finn wasn’t sure about it- it was a rather unique situation- but he assumed happy people didn’t do that.

Han grabbed him by the collar and dragged him along, but it was already too late. Finn had stuck his head above the crates a second too long. Maura Ren pointed in their direction.

‘Run,’ Finn shouted, being first in taking his own advice. An invisible Force swept the crates aside, literally given the presence of the knight. Blaster shots followed immediately after.

He sprinted, ducking behind a control panel. Gadget lady appeared at his side. Rey and Han had found a relatively safe spot behind an armoured truck, without wheels sadly enough. They both opened fire. It seemed Rey wouldn’t need Kylo’s lightsaber after all. He should give it to Han right about now, or rather as soon as they weren’t being shot at.

‘Don’t go near that burning metal thing,’ Han yelled over the noise.

‘You think?’ Finn shouted back.

Chewie jumped out from wherever he had been hiding and sent a bolt at the knight. It never even reached her. The bolt dissipated. Finn needed to get himself some of that Force.

‘Bantha shit,’ Gadget lady looked up.

Finn didn’t know what a bantha was, but he didn’t like what he saw when he looked himself. The ceiling was coming apart.

‘We need to get out of here,’ he shouted.

‘Not while they’re shooting at us, we’re not,’ Gadget lady answered.

Finn analysed the situation. As far as he could see, the stormtroopers were still on the other side of the door. Only the knight was inside the hangar and she was slowly backing away.

‘Give me that shockwave thingy,’ Finn said, remembering a little detail that would save their lives.

‘Why?’ Gadget lady frowned.

‘That’s a fuse box,’ Finn pointed at the wall near the ladder. ‘If we reset it, the door falls shut.’

One could learn some things from watching Rey. Although he had to make sure he got the right fuses. The Rathars had been rather cute compared to this situation.

She fished it from her belt and tossed it to him. ‘How are you going to get it there?’

‘By running real hard,’ Finn said, sprinting dead ahead and keeping his head low. Rey shouted after him but he went on. He dropped to the ground behind a crate the knight had tossed aside and crawled the rest. Pebbles clunked on his head. He heard some noise that may or may not have been a part of the ceiling hitting the floor

In front of the fuse box, he leaped to his feet and slammed the gadget on it. He should’ve probably asked for instructions before he had run off, but the device had a nice, obvious button. He hit it.

 

* * *

 

Ben strolled through the corridor. He should be able to fool almost anyone into thinking he was just taking a walk. As far as most were concerned, he was back into the ranks. Unless Snoke had felt like announcing he had given up on ‘reintegration’ within less than a day. Even then, this area was restricted to a handfull of personnel. 

‘Turn back,’ Grandfather spoke. ‘That girl will be fine.’

He looked around. Wasn’t there an armoury he could raid somewhere on this level? He might need a weapon and he had left his lightsaber on Takodana.

‘Get back in the elevator while you still can.’

It had been a while since he had used a blaster, but he could if needed. Although, he should prioritise finding Rey.

‘Stop pretending you can’t hear me. I know you can.’

He stopped to think. _If I were a scavenger loose around here, where would I hide?_

‘Ben, I swear this is the last time I’m saying it. Turn around.’

What could a ghost after the count of three and you still didn’t listen? He projected the thought.

Grandfather let out a ghost-sigh. ‘Fine, I’ll cut you a deal. I’ll tell you where she is and you promise you’re heading out the same way she is. No more detours.’

‘You know where she is?’

A moment of silence passed. ‘Fascinating. Your hearing has miraculously recovered.’

‘Hilarious,’ Ben rolled his eyes. ‘Where is she?’

‘Promise first.’

‘Fine.’ That had been the plan anyway. ‘When I find her, I’m heading out.’

‘The same way she is. No take-backs. No ifs, no buts.’

‘Yes, I promise,’ Ben sighed. ‘Where is she?’

‘Right up ahead, then turn left, third door on the right. You can’t miss it.’

‘Thanks,’ he followed the instructions. It took five minutes before he saw the _you can’t miss it_ part. Someone or something had ripped the door out. Either Rey had gotten quickly accustomed to her powers or she had help. Both were fine by him.

As far as he recalled, this door led to a balcony over a groundhangar. This one never shut down, protocols and such. All they could do was shut the extra fortified door. The one currently on the floor.

No one stopped him when he walked in. If no one had noticed the glaring security breach yet, Rey had to be close.

Once on the balcony, he got a good idea exactly how close. He didn’t see Rey, but blasterfire filled the hangar. Maura stepped out from among the dust. Her whip melted the floor where it touched. This was excessive for one scavenger.

‘The other side,’ Grandfather said. ‘That’s where you need to go.’

‘How? They’re shooting at it,’ he ducked below the railing, turning to see.

‘You need to time it right and remain unseen.’

‘Helpful,’ Ben remarked. He saw several figures moved beyond the dust and cargo strewn around the floor. Something small hit his shoulder. A pebble. He jerked his head up. A web of cracks grew on the ceiling

It wouldn’t be the first time Maura had brought down a roof.

‘Move, now!’

Ben didn’t need to be told twice. He scrammed, stopping by the ladder to see where he should be going and what had merited this excessiveness. Something large jumped out from beyond the dust.

Was that Chewie? Had he come to get Rey? They had been travelling together. _Good enough_. If the fuzzball had gotten on this planet, he would have a way out.

‘Wait a second. You said Dad would turn off the shields,’ Ben recalled. ‘Which means he would’ve needed to be inside this specific building.’

‘No take-backs. You promised.’

Ben didn’t need to look. He did anyway. Dad stuck his head out from behind a damaged truck. ‘You didn’t tell me that.’

‘No ifs, no buts.’

‘Zip it,’ Ben snapped. After Takodana, he wasn’t going to risk it anymore, but a part of him wanted nothing more than to run and hide.

‘You can be mad later, but a promise is a promise.’ Ben could practically hear him laughing.

A slab of ceiling hit the floor below. Maura wasn’t messing about. He guessed she had found Palloyu’s note.

‘Go down that ladder,’ Grandfather said. ‘There’s little time left.’

‘By the way,’ Ben said. ‘Is Brynda out already?’

The Force sometimes did a weird thing and connected extended relatives, like your ex’s sister, and told you where they were.

‘The one that keeps calling you dumb? Not to worry. She can handle herself.’

Debris piled up. The ceiling bulged downwards.

‘Say?’ Ben asked. ‘Wasn’t there a level above this?’

‘Yes. Hurry!’

Ben ducked next to the ladder, but someone’s head already blocked the way.

Finn? Was everyone here these days?

‘Too late, get back,’ Grandfather warned.

He grabbed Finn by the neck and dragged him through the door opening, back into the corridor. Not a second later, a waterfall of rubble spilled down, taking the balcony with it.

 

* * *

 

The fuse box shuddered and a shockwave went through the wall. The door fell shut, trapping almost all troopers outside. Finn loved buttons.

His sense of victory didn’t last. The knight was still on the wrong side of it. She scrambled off the floor- the door falling shut must’ve thrown her off her feet- and raised her hand, clenching it into a fist.

The ceiling rained down on him, blocking the path to his friends. He went the only way he could, up the ladder.

Rubble piled up below as he climbed. He could only hope the rest had made it out. The cracks had extended to the outer parts of the ceiling. Rocks tumbled off the balcony.

He had barely made it to the top when a fragment dislodged itself and hurled itself toward his head. He froze.

Something grabbed him by the neck and hauled him out of the way and back into the hallway. He was dropped to his knees.

‘Finn, was it right?’

He knew that voice.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Rey screamed her throat coarse. What was once the groundport was now an impenetrable wall of rubble.

‘Rey,’ Han put a hand on her shoulder. ‘We have to go. There’s nothing we can do.’

‘But he’s still in there,’ Rey protested. She could _feel_ him. he was alive.

‘He could be,’ the girl from Takodana said. ‘I saw him running for the ladder, but we can’t get through the rubble.’

‘If he’s in there, he’ll find his way back to us,’ Han added.

Rey tried to think of a way to get to Finn, but there was none. Finn would catch up with them. He had to. ‘He’ll be alright.’

‘We have to go,’ Han said, biting on his lip. ‘They know we’re here now.’

Rey nodded and turned away from the rubble that separated her and Finn. She had to have faith in him.

Something crisped under her feet. She looked down. White sand. ‘What is this?’

She had seen it before. In something that could hardly even be called a dream. Back on Takodana, when she had touched the lightsaber.

‘Snow,’ Han said with a small, pained smile. He didn’t believe Finn had survived. He couldn’t _feel_ it.

She knew what that was. Water frozen while falling down from the atmosphere. It happened on many planets. It didn’t have to mean anything. Still, she couldn’t shake the feeling this was where her visions would unfold.


	27. Blood in the snow

‘Finn, was it? Right?’ Ben asked.

Finn gaped at him, giving no indication he was planning on responding.

‘You alright? Did you hit your head?’

Gaping turned to glaring, to frowning. ‘How did you get here? You got captured. Did you escape?’

‘I still am escaping,’ Ben pointed out. ‘I hope you have a way off this thing.’

‘Oh.’ Realisation dawned on his face. ‘Still escaping, of course. The Falcon’s outside. We would meet up there if we got split up.’

Ben looked down the door opening. Nothing but a solid pile of rubble below. ‘Does this count as “split up”?’

‘Yes, it does,’ Finn nodded, arm crossed. ‘We need another way out.’

‘Are the shields down?’

‘Yes, but how?’ Finn blinked. ‘How do you know that?’

‘I had some help escaping,’ he said, grabbing hold off the ledge and dropped down, hearing Finn’s slow protests. He broke his fall as well as he could, but he could’ve broken his leg and be none the wiser. To make sure he hadn’t, he bounced in his place.

‘What are you doing?’ Finn’s head poked out from over the ledge.

‘You wanted a way out,’ he answered. ‘I got one.’

In whatever had compelled her to take the roof down, Maura had created the perfect escape route. No amount of stormtroopers could dig through this rubble and for all they knew, that door had been sealed. Still, it wouldn’t be long before someone figured to check.

‘Is that safe?’ Finn asked, already halfway over the ledge.

‘Safer than staying here.’

That was enough motivation. Finn let go of the ledge and landed unto the rubble, groaning. ‘That hurt. Couldn’t you have warned me?’

‘No,’ he said entirely truthfully.

Finn dropped his shoulder. ‘Okay, so what now? We walk out?’

‘No, we’re throwing a goodbye party first,’ he deadpanned. ‘Yes, we’re walking out.’

Once in a while, things were indeed that easy. Except that Finn felt the need to make conversation.

‘So, you’re Solo’s kid and Leia Organa’s, right?’ Finn asked. ‘How did that happen?’

‘I’ll explain biology some other time.’

Finn sighed. ‘I meant, how did you get with the First Order?’

‘Escape first, questions later,’ Ben suggested.

Finn blinked. ‘How did I not see that before?’ he stood still, reaching under his jacket. ‘Do you want your lightsaber back, by the way?’

Ben’s jaw dropped slightly as Finn handed him his own lightsaber back. ‘You found this on Takodana?’

‘BB-8 - Poe’s droid- found it and gave it to me,’ Finn explained. ‘How did you lose it?’

That made sense. He was relieved to feel the familiar weight in his hand. Although he now regretted ever altering it. ‘I kind of tossed it.’

‘You tossed it?’

With a funny voice, Grandfather budded in. ‘That lightsaber is your life.’

Ben ignored the latter. ‘So they wouldn’t take it.’

At that moment, it had been the reasonable thing to do, but he was nonetheless aware how dumb that sounded.

‘So they wouldn’t get it,’ Finn mocked. ‘With that logic, we should’ve just tossed the map. Would’ve saved us the trouble.’

Shivers went down his spine. ‘Is Luke here?’

‘Uh, no. The map was incomplete,’ Finn said. ‘What exactly is it with you and your uncle?’

‘Nothing good,’ he dodged the question. He didn’t feel like talking about the attempted murder incident. Not in the least because there was a chance Grandfather would go on another speech.

‘Clear,’ Finn said sarcastically. It was quite a feat he had managed to retain his sarcasm during his stormtrooper training. ‘But how did you end up in the First Order?’

‘Same story.’

‘But you’re out now?’

‘I left the circus,’ he confirmed.

‘Makes two of us,’ Finn snickered. ‘So what is it. Kylo or Ben?’

‘Ben,’ he chewed on his lip. Mom and Dad had come through for him, each in their own way. Had they done that when he was a child, he might have never fled to Snoke. He would’ve gone home and Luke could’ve gone to hell.

‘Good,’ he nodded. ‘I don’t think Han liked your new name.’

‘He wouldn’t.’

‘He and the general were worried sick,’ Finn continued. ‘Han thought you were dead.’

Ben turned his head. ‘Why would he think that?’

Finn hesitated. ‘I might have, accidentally, told him that. You know, with the crash and all that.’

‘Fair enough. I thought you died.’ He stopped. They’d reached the edge. It was still a climb of several feet but nothing he hadn’t done before. He sat down and kicked to dislodge any loose debris before descending. Finn followed his lead but with more caution.

‘Maybe you should watch where you’re going,’ he suggested.

‘I am.’ Ben jumped the last half feet. He heard Grandfather sighing.

Finn landed beside him, squinting. ‘What’s that thing around your neck?’

‘Ancient Beskar,’ he explained. ‘Cuts me off from the Force.’

‘Oh, I think I can help with that,’ he pulled out a second lightsaber.

Ben thought he had seen it all today, but someone pulling out two lightsabers in rapid succession without batting an eye was a new one. ‘Where did you get that?’

‘Maz had it in her basement,’ Finn shrugged.

‘Hey,’ Grandfather said. ‘That’s mine.’

So much for not listening in on private conversations. Also, what was he on about?’

‘I get the idea. Give met that. It’s better if I do it myself, but my own is too unstable.’

Finn handed him the new lightsaber, slightly confused.

Ben ignited the blade. Blue and stable. Like his own had been before he had bled the crystal, cracking it in the process.

He cut offf the remainder of the chain with ease, but the collar itself didn’t budge. Carefully watching his coordination, he increased the pressure.

‘On second thought, this is a bad idea,’ Finn said.

Ben adjusted the angle of the blade. ‘It has to come off at some point.’

‘That’s where your carotid artery is,’ Finn noted.

‘Almost.’

‘Ben!’ Grandfather bellowed. ‘Get that lightsaber away from your neck.’

He dropped it on pure instinct. The blade retracted when it hit the ground.

Finn squinted, snatching the lightsaber off the ground. ‘Did you hear something?’

That was how loud Grandfather had yelled.

‘No,’ he lied. ‘What way are we going?’

‘Falcon’s over there,’ Finn indicated.

Ben nodded. ‘How did it even get back?’

‘That’s a weird story,’ Finn said. ‘I found BB-8. Rey chased me down with a stick. We stole a ship that turned out to be the Falcon. Han and Chewie showed up with some Rathars.’

He didn’t even attempt to make sense out of that, but he had understood one thing. Dad had come back for his ship before he had come for him. It wasn’t surprising and he had come through when it had mattered, but it still stung. ‘Let’s move.’

‘Yeah,’ Finn walked in silence as long as he could manage, which wasn’t long. ‘You know, Han was about to pick a fistfight with Snoke. Crazy old man.’

A lump caught in his throat. ‘He was?’

‘Yeah, I thought we were all going to die.’ Finn stopped dead in his tracks. ‘We’ve got company. Get that lightsaber ready.’

Ben protected his eyes against the snow blown around in the wind. The borrowed clothing didn’t serve him in this weather. ‘Where?’

Finn pointed it out. ‘You can see the black of their under-armour. A standard patrol judging from the size.’

Ben considered the situation. Two against several troopers and he had no clue how extensive his injuries were. ‘Don’t attack.’

Finn looked at him as he had asked him to kiss a tauntaun.

‘I’ve got a plan,’ he said, waiting for the patrol to reach them. He didn’t move a muscle as the patrol aimed their weapons, just stuck his nose in the air.

The patrol’s corporal stepped forwards. ‘Throw your weapons down and put your hands over your head.’

Ben did his best to look offended. ‘Do you know who I am? You dare give me orders?’

The corporal lowered his blaster. ‘Sir, a warrant has been issued for your arrest.’

‘Why was I not informed of this?’

‘Uh, I’m not sure,’ the corporal hesitated. ‘It must’ve been an oversight, Sir.’

Was this guy for real?

 

Despite the knight’s insistence on urgency, she had failed to make an appearance. Thus, it fell to Hux to inform Snoke their mysterious adversary was not Skywalker, but something that might be even worse.

‘Maura Ren had referred to this creature as a Sith,’ he reported. ‘Something she claims could be equal a threat, if not greater.’

Snoke leaned on his hand, his face betraying apprehension. ‘If this is true, we must act immediately and without mercy. What more do we know of this Sith?’

The knight had not exaggerated if even Snoke was visibly frightened. ‘Little. We know it is a female, but the mask makes it impossible to determine the species. She has the ability to generate lightning but seems to use it rarely. One of the historical experts thinks the mask is fashioned from an old clone trooper helmet.’

‘Take no risks,’ Snoke ordered. ‘Summon all knights, with the exception of Tamas Ren and Kiar Ren to the _Supremacy_ immediately. Make sure nothing leaves that planet meanwhile. It will be our next target.’

Hux nodded, opening a comchannel to the knights.

Shyam Ren answered. ‘Could this quite possibly wait, General? We have a situation.’

‘Supreme Leader requires your presence on the _Supremacy_.’

‘Before or after I apprehend the mole you failed to notice was dancing under your nose? And the prisoner he released,’ the knight asked. ‘And perhaps it would be wise to capture Solo and the prisoner he came to release first?’

‘Excuse me?’

‘You are behind on events,’ the knight mocked. ‘Your adjutant stole stormtrooper armour, freed Kylo and the prisoner from Takodana after which they all leave with a stolen TIE-fighter. Not ten minutes later, Solo is spotted alongside the scavenger. Needless to say, Maura is patrolling the surrounding region and I was about to follow.’

 _Stolen stormtrooper armour._ Hux froze, hoping his mind wouldn’t betray him. He had let Ren and that treacherous Palloyu pass right by him on their way out.

A distant voice on the commlink said. ‘Sir, you have to see this.’ A few moments of silence passed, followed by stifled laughter.

Shyam Ren spoke, amused. ‘General, do you have anything to tell us?’

Snoke must’ve read his mind, because next thing he knew, he was lifted off his feet and thrown into the floor. ‘You fool!’

His commlink buzzed. ‘May I suggest you relocate to your chambers? Considering we have several individuals on the loose who aren’t particularly interested in your prolonged survival.’

 

 

 

 

A burning X-wing crashed down. For every resistance craft they’d seen, three TIE-fighters roamed the skies.

The shields were down and that was great, but if that oscillator wasn’t wrecked, the resistance would still be toast.

‘They’re in trouble. We can’t leave,’ Solo said, ‘My friend here’s got a bag full of explosives. Time to use them.’

Chewie lifted said bag off his shoulder with an enthusiastic grunt. Dale would’ve loved this guy.

‘Just in case this goes wrong,’ Brynda asked. ‘Where’s that rusty relic of yours?’

‘The _Falcon_ is over there, five minutes,’ Solo huffed. ‘The oscillator should be the same distance that way.’ He indicated about twenty degrees to the south.

‘Is there a particular reason you landed it so close to something that they were going to blow up?’

‘Coincidence,’ he shrugged. ‘Can you break open another door?’

‘No can do,’ she said. ‘Lost that gadget. We’ll just blow it down while we’re at it.’

‘I can do it,’ Rey interrupted. She had been worryingly silent, understandably so. A few days ago, she’d been stripping ship wrecks. Now, she had been dragged into an intergalactic conflict and had possibly just seen the last of her friend in that cave-in.

Brynda had the feeling he had survived, but objectively she estimated the chance he had gotten back up the ladder before the ceiling had changed altitude at 50-50. Even then, finding his way back to the Falcon on his own was an entirely different story.

‘Let’s do it,’ Solo said. ‘We’ll go in, plant the explosives, get out and blow it’

 

 

Hux sealed the door behind as soon as he had made sure he was alone. At least two of the enemies loose in the base had an personal grudge against him. However, taking the precaution of assuming Han Solo wouldn’t have appreciated the intended execution of his son and extortion of his wife, the more likely number was three. Four was also a plausible possibility. The prisoner Palloyu had released could be anything from a coincidental bystander to a seasoned resistance agent.

It was safe to say he was at exceptionally high risk of assassination.

He sat down behind his desk, at least intending to draft the orders for the situation at Takodana. A couple more failures and it wouldn’t be his overt enemies who would orchestrate his demise.

How could he not have seen his own adjutant had been the mole? He had long been losing trust in the man, but still, he had failed to see he had been a spy. Actively dismissed it even. It was a comforting prospect Maura Ren would have to answer for this even more so, and on a personal level.

He reached down to retrieve a datapad. The blood froze in his veins. Palloyu didn’t need to be present for his assassination, he had already arranged it. The sabotaged heater stood under his desk, hidden from immediate view but nonetheless letal. He ran.

 

 

 

 

 

Now Finn knew what to look for, the resemblance was undeniable. Ben sort of had Han’s nose and chin. They also had roughly the same height and build. But more importantly, Ben was trying to bullshit his way out of the situation.

‘It must’ve been an oversight, Sir,’ the corporal unknowingly played along, too baffled to grasp the situation.

‘Preposterous,’ Ben said with a straight face. Did anyone ever say ‘preposterous’ unironically?

‘Apologies,’ the corporal said. That one’s lights were on, but no one was home.

‘Return to base immediately and get to the bottom of this,’ Ben ordered.

‘Yes, Sir,’ the corporal saluted, then slowly lowered his hand. Finn could almost hear the gears turning. Ben’s face showed he’d realised he had pushed this con a mile too far.

The idiot corporal shoved his blaster in Ben’s face, who drew his lightsaber faster than Finn could see and cut him down. Immediately after, he deflected a blast to his head. It returned to sender and the trooper who had shot fell was mowed down.

Lightsabers could do that?

Finn took out his own lightsaber and waited for a blast to come his way, angling the blade against it. It bounced off but landed in the snow. Half a success rate was good enough for the first time.

The remaining troopers fled, which to be honest, Finn would’ve done as well had he been faced with two lightsabers at the same time.

‘They’ll be back, with more,’ Ben said, seeming shaken. ‘How far to the Falcon?’

‘Not long. A few minutes, I guess,’ Finn answered, bewildered to see him, out of all people, rattled by combat. ‘It’s parked against a ridge.’

‘Of course it is.’ He put his lightsaber away, his eyes distant. ‘Let’s hurry. This planet is about to implode and I don’t want to be anywhere near it when it does.’

‘That might prove harder than we thought,’ Finn squinted at the distance. Through the budding snowstorm, he saw something black moving. He would’ve guessed it the patrol returning with backup-up, but it was only a single creature. ‘Or that might just be an animal.’

‘You think they left any alive on here?’ Ben exhaled. ‘That’s Maura.’

And they were screwed. He didn’t dare ignite the lightsaber and risk giving away their position. Even though he didn’t have a single doubt she already knew where they were.

A red beam lit up against the white of the snow and the black of her robes. He didn’t recall her having a lightsaber, but the message was clear. She wasn’t here to fight.

Ben dropped his shoulders and ignited his own lightsaber, the same shade of red. Two beacons in a world of white.

He considered igniting his own, but he knew he stood no chance.

The knight had come close enough for Finn to discern her veil and the gloved hand that held the saber. ‘Traitor!’

‘Hey, cut him some slack,’ Ben said. ‘He had a rough day.’

Despite the situation, Finn rolled his eyes. He wasn’t about to become a pile of smoking meat, just because another Solo couldn’t keep their mouth shut. ‘She’s talking about you, pal.’

‘Oh,’ Ben realised. ‘Maura, I am not your enemy.’

‘Yes, you are,’ she bit.

Finn reached for his lightsaber anyway. If he was going down, he was going down fighting.

‘No,’ Ben held up a hand. ‘Go and find the others.’

‘But-.’

‘You won’t make a difference,’ Ben said. ‘And this is between me and her.’

Finn nodded, grudgingly. He had seen enough to know it to be true. The only thing he could do was get help. He only hoped Ben would hold out so long.

 

 

 

Finn’s footsteps led away.

‘Please, listen to me,’ Ben yelled over the sound of the wind. ‘Just listen.’

Maura’s lightsaber burned red for the first time. She had never been able to bleed it, so she’d taken up another weapon instead of wielding one of a Jedi.

‘You betrayed me, you betrayed us all,’ she screamed, raising the saber. ‘I’ve always stood by you and you turned against me.’

‘I had no choice,’ Ben said, preparing to defend himself. ‘Snoke lied to us from the very start. The moment we outlive our purpose, the moment he gets what he wants, he’ll crush us.’

‘No one would have harmed you if you’d just stayed loyal,’ she said.

‘That’s it, right there. That _If,_ ’ he pointed out. ‘He lets us live _if_ we do what he wants. If we challenge him, he’ll kill us. And he’ll turn it so you believe he had no choice.’

She scoffed. ‘That was an empty threat. A mere deception to remind you who your real allies are, and you chose the people who threw you away.’

‘Yet, another lie, Maura,’ he said. ‘How did he convince you he was going to let me live?’

‘He did not have to,’ she said. ‘It was my idea. The deception was mine and mine alone. He carried it out on my request.’

Had she cut him with her lightsaber, it would’ve hurt less. ‘How could you?’

‘You were blind,’ she bit. ‘You refuse to see it. Your parents didn’t want you. They didn’t lift a finger after Luke tried to murder you. And now you’re running back to them as if they’d care.’

Rage erupted inside him. He twirled his lightsaber ‘What would you know about family?’

‘More than enough,’ she countered. ‘I don’t blind myself to it as you do. I saw it in your eyes every day, that pain. And what for? They hate you.’

He was the one who struck first ‘You sold me out to Snoke every chance you got and you dare claim I was the one who betrayed you?’

‘You’re weak,’ she parried, startled by the fight she’d come here for. ‘We would’ve brought security and freedom to the universe, together. You threw it all away for a selfish delusion.’

‘No, because it was wrong,’ he bit, leaning into his lightsaber. ‘We weren’t saving anything. Look at what we are standing on. This weapon killed billions. Snoke’s evil.’

‘The republic was evil.’ She shifted out from under his weight, sending him backward with a Force-push. ‘They were corrupt to the core. They benefitted from the suffering of the people they’d sworn to serve. They were no more than tyrants under a different name. It had to be done.’

He jumped to his feet. ‘Would you have done it then? Would you have pushed that button?’

Her voice shook. ‘We’ve wiped corruption from this universe.’

‘Not what I asked.’ He tried to anticipate her next move.

She just stood there. ‘I’m not weak like you. I wouldn’t have let my parents corrupted me like you have.’

As rapidly as it had come, his rage subsided. This had never been about him. All this time, she had been fighting against a past long gone. ‘Show me your face.’

‘Why?’ she laughed. ‘What do think you’ll see?’

‘What brought you here.’ They had had the silent agreement to never mention it. He suspected no one had seen her face since the temple had burned.

She reached for her veil and tore it off. It was how he remembered it. His anger rose again, not against her but those who had done that to her. Three surgically precise scars run down each of her cheeks. Marks that had once reduced her to property.

‘This was what the republic stood for.’

‘The ones who did that to you are long gone,’ he said. ‘And they’ll never hurt you again. They will never hurt anyone again.’

‘And more of them will come to take their place,’ she said. The certainty in her voice had returned. ‘I will ensure no one will suffer like I did and you won’t stop me. I’ll squash everything that gets in my way. If I have to lose myself to do so, then so be it.’

‘But that’s not freedom, is it,’ he said softly. ‘That’s just destruction.’

She recoiled. ‘Some things have to be destroyed.’

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘But we were taking everything down with it. That is not the way, but it doesn’t have to be like that. Come with me and we’ll do it the right way.’

She looked down at her lightsaber. The blade was straight and stable. Unlike him, she had bled it with determination. Still, she said. ‘I don’t want it to be like this either.’

‘The don’t.’ he reached out his hand. ‘You have a choice.’

Her face was etched with doubt. ‘I know what must be done, but I don’t know if I’m strong enough.’

‘I know you are. You’re the strongest person I know,’ he said, feeling relief. ‘It’ll be alright. I’ll help you.’

‘Thank you,’ she said, extinguishing her lightsaber. ‘I’ll never forget this.’

He took it as she extended it to him, but his smile faltered. Her eyes held no doubt. She had made her decision and he knew what the darkside demanded.

Inside his mind, through a small sensation, Grandfather confirmed his suspicions. She always kept a small blade up her sleeve. He blocked it before it could pierce his heart.

At least now he knew how much he had meant to her.

The snow lit up red as they both reignited their weapons. He had expected to be able to anticipate their moves. They had trained together many times. He realised with intense bitterness that she’d never fought to kill him.

Or in this state. Her attacks were feral, uncontrolled. She only attacked, not bothering to defend.

That was her mistake.

His lightsaber passed hers and found flesh. Her shoulder, her chest, he didn’t know. In the haze, there was only survival. He pulled back his blade.

It was over. There wasn’t much blood. There wouldn’t be. Lightsabers cauterised the wounds they made. She stirred.

Tears finally broke through. It had been her shoulder, nearly cut in half. That arm would never function again. She’d tried to kill him, but when he looked at her, he only saw that little girl who had come to him when she’d been too scared to sleep. Who he had made up stories for and tucked back into bed. And he had lost her. Snoke had won.

She pushed herself up with her undamaged arm, finding his eyes. ‘I hate you.’

Yet, he could never hate her. ‘You were like my sister. I loved you. I still do, but I can’t stay.’

A single sob left her lips. And her eyes. They shifted. The green disappeared, turning to gold.

He could no longer watch, only wish he had noted her strange choice of words earlier. _If I have to lose myself._

And she had. The darkness had taken her. She had let it and now she was beyond his reach.

‘Ben, you have to go,’ Grandfather spoke softly. ‘You did all you could. It’s up to her now.’

His heart ached as he left her there.

 

 

 

Finn studied the footprints in the snow. He couldn’t have possibly gotten this lucky. But sure enough, three pair of them appeared to be human. Which was nothing strange, considering this was First Order territory. However, the fourth pair settled it. Those were wookie footprints. Chewie.

He raced alongside the tracks, as fast as the snow and the piercing wind allowed. His lungs burned from both exertion and the cold. The storm faded as the storm grew, but they hadn’t disappeared yet. They had to be close.

Chewie’s frame came into sight first. It was as if life had returned to him. With the surge of renewed energy, he sprinted towards them. ‘Over here!’

Chewie roared and they stopped. His heart skipped a beat when he saw Rey. He had feared he’d never see her or any of them ever again.

‘You’re alright.’ She threw her arms around his neck when he reached. He held her close. She was shivering like a leaf, still wearing the same clothes she’d been wearing in the desert.

‘They’re going to need more than few rocks to take me down,’ he said, shrugging off his jacket and giving it to her. She put it on, shivering slightly less.

Chewie picked him off the ground and half-crushed him in a hug, squeezing all air from his lungs.

‘Missed you too, big guy,’ he joked.

Han clapped him on the back. ‘Good to have you back, Big Deal.’ Not even a near-death experience had erased that nickname. Seemed like it was going to stick.

He caught sight of Gadget Lady. ‘Sorry, I lost your..what was it?’

‘Shockwave emitter,’ she shrugged. ‘I’ll make another one. Come on. We’re going to blow an oscillator. You’re in?’

Chewie held up the bag with explosive balls.

‘I thought the resistance as going to do that,’ Finn noted.

‘Wasn’t working out,’ Han said. ‘So we’re improvising.’

That put Finn in a tight spot. If that oscillator wasn’t destroyed, the resistance would be. But he vividly recalled how Han had reacted the last time his son had gotten hurt. Going up against a knight of Ren if you weren’t one yourself was a suicide mission. For the sake of the resistance, Ben would have to pull through on his own for the time being. He’d tell Han as soon as the oscillator was dealt with. They’d have enough time for a pick-up.

 

 

 

Rey reached into the mass of wires and tore out the fuse box. The door’s mechanism should be dead now. Han, Chewie and that one lady would plant the bombs and meet them outside before setting them off.

Finn kept looking to trees as if he expected someone to jump them any second. It wouldn’t be a strange assumption. At least he was alive.

Something pulled at her mind, something filled with fear, anger, and doubt. ‘Someone’s there.’

Finn jolted. ‘Friendly? By approximation, I mean.’

‘Not at all.’ She approached the edge of the woods. Whatever it was, it was coming for her. ‘It’s unstable and it hates us.’

Finn’s face fell. ‘Is it the roof lady?’

‘No, not her,’ Rey tried to extend her senses. ‘Someone else.’

‘Stay here,’ Finn took out the lightsaber Maz had tried to give her. he shrugged. ‘I’m keeping it for you.’

The presence was closing in. She drew her blaster. ‘No way. I’m coming with.’

‘Fine, just-.’ A beam erupting near his face cut off his sentence. Blood rushed in her ears as Finn and the attacker exchanged blows. The shaft of an axe rammed into the side of Finn’s skull. He dropped, the lightsaber rolling into the snow.

She gasped. This was her vision. The faceless man with the axe on a planet of white sand. He turned to her.

‘Who are you?’

She could’ve shot her blaster, but knew it would not harm him. On instinct mixed with memories that were not her own, she called the lightsaber to her hand.

He tilted his masked head. ‘So you are strong with the Force.’

‘The Force?’ Somewhere deep down, she’d always known. It had always been with her and it would be with her now. She let her body take over.

He blocked one strike after another, unable to deal one of his own. ‘Impressive. Are you truly untrained?’

She ignored his words, focussing on the battle.

He was forced to give ground. ‘Raw and powerful, yet uncontrollable. No wonder Kylo took an interest in you. Join us and we’ll teach how to use your powers. You’ll never have to be afraid again.’

‘Never, I’ll never join monsters,’ she bit. ‘And how dare you speak of Han’s son? You killed him.’

‘We killed him?’ he sounded amused. ‘You do not know Skywalker’s crimes or the things Organa was willing to close her eyes to. The corruption of the republic. You travel alongside a man who has thieved and lied his way through life, and yet you claim the high ground? Has it ever occurred to you you could be one in the wrong?

‘No, never,’ she thrust her blade through his defense, into his ribs. She felt no resistance.

He gasped and fell to his knees. His blood soaked into the snow. With one stroke she could kill him, remove one more threat to the resistance. She would be doing the universe a favour.

_Kill him._

She shook her head. It was not her place to decide whether he lived or died, but it was her place to make sure Finn lived and he needed her help.


	28. Misunderstandings

Ben fought against the pull of the wind. He had no idea how long he had been walking. Might’ve been minutes, might’ve been hours. How long until the planet would blow?

Finn had said the Falcon wasn’t far, but he could’ve been walking in circles and he’d never knew. With the Mandalorian iron still around his neck, not even the Force could show him the way. And even if Dad would come for him, he’d never find him.

The skin on his back began itching and the chill bit all the way to the bone. Snow melted into the thin fabric of the borrowed clothes.

He fell to his knees, both from exhaustion and because it didn’t matter. It couldn’t be much longer before the resistance destroyed the oscillator. This was the end. He could only hope it would be quick.

Bright blue light shimmered through the massive, raging blanket of white. ‘You have to stand. You have to keep going.’

‘What for? It’s hopeless.’

‘Remember what your mother used to say?’ Grandfather asked, his voice sounding clearly over the raging of the wind. ‘Hope is like the sun. If you only believe in it when you see it-.’

‘You’ll never make it through the night,’ he recalled, struggling to get to his feet. ‘But will there be a tomorrow?’

‘Always,’ he said. ‘This weapon will not fire. You can go home.’

‘I can’t see where I’m going. I can’t do this.’

Grandfather brought up his arm. An orb of light materialised upon it, piercing the oppressive snow. ‘Someone has come to help you. Follow her and she will guide the way.’

The orb dimmed ever so slightly, taking the shape of a bird. He rubbed the half-molten snow from his eyes. When he opened them, Grandfather had gone, but the bird fluttered before him, waiting.

_To all nine hells with it, I’m following the bird._

With nothing to lose and all to gain, he cleared his mind. Not thinking about the goal or how much longer he had to go. All that mattered was the next step.

After what might as well have been an eternity, the bird stopped, floating midair. Ben reached out his hand and touched metal. Tracing his hand along the structure, relief filled him. This was the Falcon.

He found the control panel and entered the codes. They hadn’t been changed. The ramp unfolded. Once inside, he collapsed, panting to catch his breath. His skin tingled from the sudden warmth.

He closed the hatch and searched for signs of life, but no one was there. In the cockpit, he saw the Falcon had been left ready for take-off. They hadn’t arrived yet. What could’ve happened?

Whatever it was, there was nothing he could do. He wouldn’t last a minute if he were to go back outside. Instead, he went to where he had the best view. The guns.

All he could do now was wait.

 

* * *

 

Brynda stuck the last of her explosive to a pillar and climbed back down to the ground level. Solo stood on the other side of an enormous chasm that might very well reach all the way to the core of this freezing ball of _Kriff The Universe_.

A sense of urgency came over her. The magic microbes were blaring again, but as always they were frustratingly unspecific.

The question was rapidly answered when blasterfire erupted at Solo’s position. Time to scram. She made way for the exit.

Solo ran unto whatever it was that was supposed to serve as a bridge. There weren’t even railings, just some slabs welded together into history’s most hazardous walkway. It was no secret the First Order didn’t care about their personnel, but they’d been rather blatant about it when constructing that death-trap. Still, an impressive amount of troopers managed to cram themselves unto it, shooting at Solo and somehow managing to miss every single time. Fair enough, plenty of troopers only pulled the trigger to pass inspection and several undercover agents took to sabotaging a blaster or two when they saw the chance.

She blinked. Cracks. Another layer formed over what she was seeing. Another reality, one where this place had been full of cracks. She had seen it before, around some of the people she had tried to convince to abandon the First Order. Once they were gone, the choice was made, whatever it had been.

_He might’ve actually gotten me to do it too._

In another reality, Snoke would’ve won and Solo would’ve died here, the red of a lightsaber piercing his chest. She saw his body fall down the chasm. And Ben fell to his knees, drenched in remorse and despair. A choice had been made.

But the cracks wouldn’t have disappeared, they’d grown. The darkness had won the battle but lost the war. Even the sacrifice of one of those he loved most wouldn’t have broken him. The light would’ve risen stronger than ever.

In another reality, this is where the path home had begun, ending in death with a soul torn away from its other half. But home nonetheless.

But in this reality, Chewie had made short work of the situation by blasting the wannabe bridge to pieces right when Solo got off it. She hadn’t even noticed him up there on the balcony.

One of the pursuing stormtroopers, was tossed at the feet of the others, sliding off the edge. His allies made no attempt to help him, ignoring him while he fell to his death. All she sensed from them was a dulled discomfort at having it happen.

In another reality, they may have fought to protect life or fought for freedom, or never fought at all and just lived a quiet life. But they’d never had that chance. The First Order had stolen them from their homes, stripped them of their free will and turned them into weapons. That was the reality they had to live with, and while they couldn’t save everyone, that didn’t mean they shouldn’t try.

‘If you remain on this planet, you will die,’ she shouted. ‘Leave while you still can.’

Solo grabbed her arm and dragged her away. ‘Nice speech and all, but let’s go. Are you crying?’

She wiped the moisture away from under her eye. ‘No, just molten snow.’

He frowned, unaware this was where the cruelest version of his fate had come to pass. ‘Chewie, where are you?’

Growling sounded from above. Chewie had elected the fastest way outside, which was out of the window and down the wall.

‘Okay, good,’ Solo said when Chewie reached the ground. ‘Blow this thing.’

‘Where are those two?’ Brynda noted neither Rey or Finn was where they’d left them.

Solo breathed in, likely preparing to release a bunch of curses but was interrupted by Rey and Finn stumbling out of the woods. The latter leaning heavily on the former.

‘Knight. In. the. Woods,’ Rey gasped. ‘He’s down now, but-.’

‘We’re moving,’ Solo interrupted her, urging them in the other direction. Chewie pressed the detonator and the oscillator went up in a manner Dale would’ve bragged about for years. She hoped the troopers had taken her advice but she doubted it.

Rey tried to lead Finn into a somewhat straight line with little success. This was going too slowly. Brynda tapped Chewie on his arm. ‘You take that one, would you?’

He wasted no time and plucked Finn off the ground and hoisted him over his shoulder. Always nice to have a wookie around. Rey looked a tad baffled but went with it.

Struggling their way through the snow, she recalled how she’d silently complained about all the sand on Jakku. This was worse. At least, sand didn’t melt. Even more, she missed the sun-filled fields from her home.

 

* * *

 

Scarcely surviving the attempt on his life, Hux saw all he had worked for crumble before his eyes. The hallways bathed in red light and the sound of alarms rung. The thermal oscillator had been destroyed and soon the planet’s very structure would collapse upon itself. He couldn’t save the weapon, only hope to survive once more.

He entered the throne room, wondering if he would even live long enough to evacuate. Snoke did not take well to losing. ‘Supreme leader, the planet is about to collapse. What are your orders?’

The hologram had already been waiting. ‘Retrieve the knights and bring them to me.’

He might as well sit down and wait until the planet imploded. If the last years had proven anything, it was that the knights had ample experience eluding them.

 

* * *

 

Finn got a nice close-up view of Chewie’s fur. It was the only thing he saw. His head pounded at a spot he didn’t remember getting hit. Bouncing upside down on Chewie’s shoulder didn’t help. At the very least, he didn’t have to trudge through the snowstorm. His current position did come with some benefits.

‘This way,’ Rey shouted.

‘How do you know?’ Han asked. ‘I can’t see a damned thing.’

‘I can feel it,’ Rey answered.

‘I think so too,’ Gadget lady said.

Finn doubted the validity of those arguments. But hey, what did he know? He was hanging upside down on a Wookie’s shoulder.

Not long after, Chewie jumped up, growling. Possibly, he was saying something important. But as always, Finn couldn’t tell.

‘We’re here?’ Rey sounded surprised, which was a bit unsettling since they’d been following her.

‘We’re here,’ Han confirmed, banging on the hull. Or could be someone else happened to bang the hull at the exact same time.

Things whirred, beeped and screeched. A few bounces on Chewie’s shoulder later, Finn got put back on his feet inside the Falcon. He didn’t have a single doubt it was, in fact, the Falcon. No other ship was this rusty and greasy. Chewie shook his fur clean, creating a carpet of snow on the floor.

Han started dishing out orders. ‘Chewie, check the engines. Rey, you’re with me. Kina, or whatever, can you make contact with the fleet?’

‘I can try,’ she made another device appear. ‘Did you meet Poe, by the way?’

‘Do you make up a new name every time you meet someone?’ Han asked.

‘Almost every time.’

Finn raised his hand. ‘What do I do?’

Han frowned. ‘You…uh, you go man the guns. Doubt we’re going to run into anything, so you can nap if you want.’

Finn nodded and headed that way. The feeling he was forgetting something crept up to him. Not the oscillator, they blew that. Not the Falcon, they were already there. The big knight was dealt with, Rey had done that.

There was something with the smaller knight. She had brought down a roof on them, but Han already knew that. Why was the hallway turning?

Still wracking his brain, he climbed down the ladder. Maybe he should just take a nap. He muffled a scream.

There was already someone in the chair.

‘That was politer than last time,’ Ben turned, not at all trying to hide his amusement. ‘What took you so long?’

‘What took us so long?’ Finn blinked. _Oh, yeah. That’s what I was supposed to tell Han._ ‘Okay, I kind of forgot about you. We got side-tracked and I didn’t want the resistance to depend on Han’s ability to keep his cool.’

‘I didn’t follow that, but granted,’ Ben nodded, his lips pressed together. ‘Did everyone make it here? Is that blood on your head?’

‘One question at a time, please.’ Finn rubbed his head, flinching when he touched the beginning swelling. ‘You know what? Stay here. I’ll get Han and you can figure it out together.’

‘Wait.’

‘It’s fine, I got this,’ he turned and the floor swayed beneath him. His knees buckled.

Ben appeared looming over him. ‘Why are you on the floor?’

‘Because I fell over,’ Finn bit.

‘Yeah, maybe you should stay down,’ Ben suggested, sitting down himself and squinting. ‘Did that fuzzball use as a club? You look like dying.’

‘Look who’s talking,’ Finn countered. ‘And don’t call him that.’

‘That’s what we always called him.’ Ben argued. ‘And he used to call me runt. So we’re even. But seriously, did you die? You’re looking green.’

‘Hey, do you still have that mask?’ Finn asked.

‘No, I lost it,’ Ben frowned. ‘Why?’

He shrugged. ‘Too bad. I like you better when I can’t see your face.’

_Bam_. The former master of the Knights of Ren and the biggest, scariest guy the First Order had, pouting like a little kid. Finally some revenge for all the thrashed equipment he had to clean up.

Still with a sad face, Ben looked out of the windshield. ‘Where are we going?’

Finn took a look himself. They had reached outer space by now, Starkiller base being a tiny orb in the distance. ‘The resistance, I think. Gadget lady with the fake names is trying to contact the fleet.’

‘Wait, she’s here?’ Ben asked. ‘How did she do that?’

‘She came falling out of a vent.’

He laughed. ‘Classic.’

The room lit up red, white and everything in between. They gaped at the window. Starkiller base was nothing more than a raging inferno. The colours stretched while the Falcon made that familiar sound that indicated the hyperdrive had activated.

‘That’s solved,’ Ben remarked, somewhat tense-looking.

Finn tried to count the contusions on his face but lost count at three because his head throbbed. ‘So, I’m getting Han. Just stay here.’

‘Wait,’ he jumped up.

‘Or come along. Would be faster,’ Finn shrugged, not quite able to register what happened next. He ended up on the floor with his knee stinging and the ladder tossed down in front of him. Ben was gone.

 

* * *

 

Rey let out a sigh when the Falcon rose up. ‘You sure it’s a good idea to let Finn near the guns?’

‘Don’t worry,’ Han said. ‘I disabled them. I just needed him to stay out of the way.’

Reasonable. Hopefully, he was indeed taking a nap. ‘Where’s BB-8?’

‘At the base,’ Han answered. ‘But the map was useless, incomplete.’

‘Oh.’

‘Seriously?’ the lady with the fake names said. ‘All that tussle for nothing?’

‘Yes, seriously,’ Han sighed. ‘You got a signal yet?’

‘Almost,’ she said. ‘There’s a ton of interference around here.’

‘Keep at it,’ Han said. ‘Rey, what happened in there?’

She hesitated, not understanding herself. ‘They tried to interrogate me, but I escaped. And I… What can you tell me about the Force?’

‘Do I have some stories for you,’ the lady muttered in the back.

Rey waited for Han to answer, having the expectation he’d be frightened even though there was no indication of it. He had fought alongside Luke Skywalker. The Force wouldn’t frighten him, but something in the back of her mind promised disappointment.

‘If you want good answers, you’ll have to ask Leia,’ Han said. ‘I just know it’s energy some people can sense and do stuff with.’

She made a note to indeed ask Leia. That much she’d figured on her own.

‘Got it!’ The girl with no name jumped up, realised she’d startled them and explained in a calm voice. ‘I made contact. They sent the safest hyperspace route away from here. Mind if I plug it in?’

‘Be my guest,’ Han opened a dataport.

‘Oh, yes, of course. The proper way.’ She smirked.

‘What’s the non-proper way?’ Han asked.

‘That’s when hooks come out and dig into the hardware.’ She made claw-motions with her hand.

Han jabbed a finger at her. ‘Don’t let me catch you doing that in here.’

‘Don’t give me a reason and I won’t.’ She plugged it and hyperspace route popped up in the navicomputer.

Rey gave the device a closer look. If she’d run across it during scavenging, she wouldn’t have stopped to pick it up. She wondered if the lady would mind if she took it apart some time, just to see.

‘You got it from here, Rey?’ Han asked. ‘Tree Lady and I got some things to discuss.’

‘Come on,’ Tree lady protested. ‘You saw me in a tree exactly once.’

‘In three trees once,’ Han said. ‘And since no one knows your name, Tree Lady it is. Now, move it.’ The lady threw her hands up and followed Han out of the cockpit.

Rey sat back and let it sink in it was finally over. As long as Plutt hadn’t left any more surprises they would drop out of hyperspace near the resistance within minutes. She closed her eyes.

The hallways of the Falcon flashed in her mind, as vivid as if she were there. Moving beside her as if she was walking through them. Her eyes shot open. Someone was here. Someone she didn’t know about.

She motioned to stand, but realised they’d already left hyperspace. If she left now, The Falcon would, at its best, float aimlessly. At its worst, it would get caught in the gravitational pull of the planet and crash. She grabbed the yoke, cursing, and led the Falcon to a safe landing.

 

* * *

 

Steela’s hands moved with painstakingly acquired muscle memory, stitching the wound with careful deliberation. This knight was no ally of hers, but she’d sworn an oath to practice her profession with integrity and to the best of her skill.

Besides, not doing so would’ve blown her already shaky cover. Dale had given her some space to breath, but the paranoia of those in power knew no bounds. Hux would eventually figure it out. Perhaps, it was time to reassemble her lightsaber. All the pieces separate held no significance, especially not when working with medical technology. The crystal she kept on her person, under the collar of her clothing. It would be little more than jewellery to the unknowing eye so happening to fall upon it. Dead people did have good ideas every once in a while, it turned out.

Normally, him chattering while she was working would’ve annoyed her, but he had a valid reason this time. It occurred to her the one she was currently working on was the more pleasant of the two knights. He lied perfectly still as she mended the skin over his ribs.

For the other one…. Well, she wondered how Hux had even gotten her on the ship. The girl had been screeching and struggling since the second she got here, even though she theoretically should’ve been unconscious.

Hux sputtered, his head turning purple as he fruitlessly tried to get away. But there was no escaping a seething darksider compressing your throat with the Force, regardless of how many functional arms said darksider had. She’d bet Hux wanted her help now. He wasn’t going to get it.

‘Shut up!’ The girl screeched, sending concentrated rage and pain into the Force.

Steela threaded the last stitch. ‘Do be careful, General. She’s terribly injured.’

‘Who is she yelling at?’ the other knight asked. ‘No one was talking.’

Not as far as he as concerned. With her work done, Steela shifted her focus to Anakin’s preaching. ‘This is not worth it. The betrayals Snoke has convinced you of are not real and this pain will pass.’

The girl proceeded by increasing her effort to choke the living Force out of Hux, who reacted with incoherent screeching. Fair enough, there was a fifty percent chance he’d die.

_Can you tell her that in another minute?_

‘Steela,’ Anakin turned to her, frowning. ‘Do something, please?’

_Why?_

‘I was like her once.’

_Fine._

She approached the girl, swallowing as she saw the golden of her eyes. ‘She’s hallucinating.’

‘Okay,’ the other knight said skeptically.

‘Don’t be frightened. We’re trying to help,’ Anakin tried to assure the girl.

Those eyes were a sign one had forsaken their humanity, either because they’d had little too start with or because they believed they had no other choice. The latter type could turn back, but having killed someone in blind rage tended to complicate that process, a fact the one currently trying to calm her down could attest to.

_Do you think she even wants to turn back?_

‘If she didn’t want help, she wouldn’t be able to see me now.’

A complicated matter. A Force ghost would only appear to those wanted to see them, even if that individual was unaware that was what they wanted. However, if one tried to see them without really wanting to, they wouldn’t.

Steela allowed him to manipulate the Force through her, a feat possible due to the connection he once had with Mom. She wondered what Mom would think of him playing commlink for her and Padme. It was a question unlikely to be questioned anytime soon. Not a long as Luke was busy perfecting the art of shirking.

Anakin touched a finger to the girl’s forehead, sending a pulse of Force-energy up her spine. The girl froze as her consciousness left her in an instant, too fast for her to even wonder what had happened.

Steela caught her, preventing her nearly severed shoulder from hitting the ground. From one look she knew the joint was too damaged to ever fully function unaided again. It left a sour taste in her mouth, knowing the resistance would benefit from the horrifying injury of a young woman whose desire to spread freedom had been gradually twisted against her. The woman Dale had so loved despite everything that had stood between them, whose resolve had become his own.

‘Keep that beast sedated. Restrain her if you have to,’ Hux demanded, regaining his arrogance while scuttling away. Dale deserved a medal for keeping it together around this guy as long as he had.

 

* * *

 

‘Okay, start to finish,’ Han said. ‘What happened?’

Tree lady crossed her arms. ‘He can tell you himself. All I’m going to say is, he’s safe and probably already at the base.’

He breathed in. ‘He was injured. How bad?’

‘Grilled,’ she muttered. ‘I don’t know the details about after they captured him, but assume it’s bad.’

He had figured as much. ‘Did he ever say why... why they did that in the first place?’ Before... when he first got out.’

She got the meaning. ‘He was specifically vague about it, but really. You can ask him yourself.’

‘Was Takodana Ben’s idea?’ Years back, he had made Ben memorise the coordinates while making sure Leia wouldn’t find out.

‘No, mine,’ she shrugged. ‘But he seemed to know the place.’

He remembered the Ben-sized pile of clothing on the tabletop. ‘Why didn’t you come to me? Neither of you would’ve been in this mess.’

‘You see. That was his choice,’ she answered. ‘He had the chance to go to you and he didn’t. What does that tell you?’

He lifted his eyebrows. ‘Excuse me?’

‘Okay, I’m sure you mean well and you love him, but from what I heard you weren’t the best dad.’ Her eyes narrowed slightly, focussing on him. ‘If I hadn’t seen it from your side, I would’ve included you in my top fifty of biggest jackasses and I might still be on the fence about that.’

Han opened his mouth to defend himself, realising he had damned little to say. Instead, he shrugged half-heartedly. ‘Top fifty doesn’t sound too bad.’

‘I think you’ve got a pretty good idea what kind of work I do,’ she noted. ‘And what kind of people I come across.’

‘Point taken.’

‘No honestly. I stared that mutated hutt of a supreme clown in the eye yesterday,’ she tilted her head, almost as if she was studying his reaction. ‘Well, a hologram. Still, it was like looking evil in the eye. Now I’m almost afraid I’m going to have nightmares about it and someone will feel the evil leaking through and try to kill me.’

‘Yes. Point taken,’ he repeated.

She blinked. ‘You don’t know.’

‘Know what?’

‘Nothing, apparently.’ Her expression softened somewhat. ‘But I don’t think Duncy has the most accurate view of your side of the story, or you on his. You’ve got a lot to figure out, you two.’

_Well, Leia did say it wouldn’t be easy._

‘Wait,’ he let out a chuckle. ‘Duncy?’

‘Yeah, he isn’t actually dumb. It’s more like,’ she tried to clarify by gesturing. ‘Like when someone’s used to not having to think too hard to get things done and when they get in a situation where they really should be thinking but they don’t because it’s a habit. And they just stumble their way through it.’

‘Thanks,’ he agreed. ‘Thanks for putting that into words. I could never put my finger on that.’

She sighed, dropping her shoulders. ‘That’s what my mom used to say about me.’

‘Your mother knows what she’s talking about. Listen to her,’ he said. Under his feet, the Falcon shook the way it did when it entered a planet’s atmosphere.

She glared, shifting back to her little smirk. ‘You know, Ben kind of joined a resistance cell, mostly to piss Snoke off.’

Pride rose in his chest. ‘That’s my kid.’

‘If I may say so, don’t waste any more time,’ she said. ‘My brother should’ve gotten him to the base by now.’

‘Your brother?’ Han frowned. ‘The one you wanted to kick?’

‘Thanks for reminding me,’ she nodded. ‘He busted Duncy out, but he made things real difficult for us in the process.’

Han thought it better to not connect the dots between that statement and the suspiciously specific description of how mad that one knight was. If Tree Lady’s tenacity ran in her family, he would’ve nothing to worry about. Ben would be home safe.

 

* * *

 

As soon as the Falcon touched ground, Rey bounced off her chair and sprinted. In the back of her mind, she saw the exact route the intruder was taking. How a piece of the wall came loose.

She made sure her blaster was off the safety, but kept it on stun just in case it was just an ally they’d neglected to mention. The images in her head changed, to metal beams in dimmed light.

She stopped and turned, knowing she wasn’t going to catch this intruder by running after them.

 

* * *

 

Ben lifted the panel of the secret hatch. Dad had conveniently installed it during his earliest smuggling years. It opened up into the space between the inner and the outer hull, leading to an airtight exit with a release button only on the inside. A quick escape route no one could use to get in.

If he was smart about it, he could find Brynda and get out before his parents would ever know he was there. He had only ever made things harder for them, even when he had been a child. And after the past six years…

They hadn’t left him to die. Still, that didn’t mean they wanted him around. They most definitely wouldn’t if they knew what he had almost done.

‘Ben?’

He cursed under his breath, not having to turn around to know Grandfather was standing right behind him. ‘I know what I’m doing.’

‘In that case, please explain,’ he said, closely approximating Luke’s level of _Not angry, just disappointed._ ‘Because I’ve got no idea.’

‘No one can see me leave this way,’ he muttered, glancing over his shoulder.

‘Why?’ Grandfather asked, his arms folded. ‘You’re safe. Your mother is waiting outside-.’

‘And that’s exactly why,’ he snapped, biting his lip.

‘I understand you’re afraid, but enough is enough. You’re hurting yourself more than anything else.’ He paused, continuing in a soft voice. ‘What more do they have to do before you believe they really care? Just go home.’

‘Back off.’ Ben turned away, hiding his face.

_Afraid._ That was just the word. He would’ve never said it out loud, barely admitting it to himself, but he was terrified. Terrified to have his worst suspicions confirmed.

‘You’ve come so far already, don’t turn back now,’ Grandfather continued.

The last thing he needed now was a full-blown lecture. Any moment now, any of them could happen to pass by and see him. Well, not Finn, but about anyone else.

_If Mom can do it, so can I._

He pushed at the already weakened connection. Grandfather frowned, vanishing in the midst of opening his mouth. If he had only known earlier it was that easy.

Still, it left a pit in his stomach. But he would ponder about it some other time. Now, he had to get out of here.

 

* * *

 

Brynda hurried off the ramp. Dale was close by, she could sense it. Strangely enough, it also felt like one of Mom’s cousins was around here somewhere.

Chewie had already made it outside and was squishing someone. In a good, fluffy way. Not the bloody, limb-mangling way wookies were known for. A third person in a pilot’s uniform watched the scene. That cocky smile as one out of a thousand. Poe turned and waved.

She approached, mock-punching him in the arm. ‘Good to see you’re still in one piece.’

‘I almost lost sensory function in that arm,’ he remarked.

‘Well, did you?’

‘No,’ he said. ‘And I like to keep it that way.’

‘I didn’t hit you for real.’

‘Yeah, just kidding,’ he shrugged. ‘How did you get here?’

‘Got caught, broke out, hitched a ride,’ she summarised. ‘You happen to know if my brother got here yet?’

‘Yes, he did. He’s now with your cousin.’ The person Chewie had been squishing was none other than General Organa herself.

‘Good to meet you, General,’ she said, opening her mind to any signs of how that reunion had gone down.

_Dread._ ‘Likewise.’

She instinctively took a step back, realising what had been and what had not been said.

‘Great,’ Solo sauntered towards them. He looked around for someone he wouldn’t find. ‘Everyone’s here.’

The general’s eyes stood wary. ‘Did you find Finn’s friend?’

‘Yeah, she’s inside,’ he pointed at the Falcon. His jaw tightened. ‘Hey, what’s wrong?’

A hand rested on her shoulder. _Dale._ She turned and threw her arms around his neck. He was safe but he had come alone. The explosion that had reduced everything and _everyone_ to dust replayed in her mind.

By now, she should’ve been used to losing people to this war, but it never did get easier. After breaking free from the First Order, challenging his indoctrination and rebelling against the person who had tormented him from birth, Ben wouldn’t even have a marked grave. All of it seemed so pointless to her.

‘Lovely reunion,’ Solo said, his voice wavering. ‘But can anyone tell me where my kid is?’

Dale let go. ‘He was supposed to be with you. The scavenger. The General said.’ He stopped and shook his head. ‘I’m so sorry. I tried.’

She knew he would carry the guilt with him for the rest of his life.

‘What’s going on?’ Solo asked. ‘Leia?’

The General took his hands, folding them around a shimmering object. His confusion turned to realisation, then anguish.

Finn came stumbling and swaying down the ramp, a purple bump protruding from his forehead. This was so possibly the worst timing in history. She moved to guide him out of the way. Before she could take a full step, he shouted from the top of his lungs. ‘Solo, I swear if you don’t fix your kid!’


	29. Almost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It took a while, but here's the next chapter. I revised the first two chapters while I was at it.

Rey watched as he dropped out from the Falcon’s hull, surprised. She knew he was going to have to come out that way, but he hadn’t cut or damaged the metal. He had just dislodged a piece of it and rolled out. Her jaw dropped when she saw his face. ‘You?’

He turned his head to her, looking as if she were the one trespassing. A couple of days ago, he had been a figment of her imagination as far as she had been concerned and now he kept turning up. She began doubting her own sanity. ‘Could you not shoot me this time? I’ve already got enough to worry about.’

She aimed her blaster. He wasn’t going to confuse her so easily. ‘Why are you here? Did they sent you? To find the base?’

He blinked, crossing his arms. ‘I’d say they already know where this base is, considering they were pointing a giant weapon at it.’

She hesitated. That was true. ‘Then why are you here? You’re First Order.’

‘Am I?’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘Because I just quit. It was quite a fuss.’

‘Is everyone defecting these days?’ She decided to keep her weapon aimed. His words didn’t add up. Just hours ago, he had interrogated her inside a First Order facility.

‘Working conditions are horrible,’ he said, obviously amused with himself. ‘Can I go now?’

‘No, that way,’ she indicated the opposite side of the Falcon where the others must’ve gotten out.

‘Back into the engines?’ He said with such convincing confusion she almost believed it wasn’t feigned.

‘You know what I mean,’ she bit. ‘To the other side. Han will know what to do with you.’

He doubled over in laughter, taking ample time to do so. ‘That would be a first.’

‘I will shoot.’ No need to mention the blaster was on stun. She could fix that in under a second.

‘Cute,’ he said while turning away, barely recovered from his laughing fit. ‘But I really have to go now.’

She released a warning shot aimed a fair bit away from his head. He turned, frozen mid-movement. Their eyes met as they both waited for the other to make a move. He ran, disappearing into the woods behind the Falcon.

Did he really have to do that?

 

* * *

 

Han clenched the golden dice in his hand, turning around to give Finn a piece of mind. However, the state the kid was in cooled his anger.

Finn stuttered and swayed, dried blood caked in his hair. He came dangerously close to nosediving of the ramp. Dameron sprinted to catch him, guiding him down with a patience Han couldn’t have brought up on his good days. Let alone now.

He opened his hand, feeling the weight of the dice. Somehow, Ben had gotten hold of it and had kept it. Until now.

‘He kicked me,’ Finn croaked. ‘And ripped off the ladder. I was stuck there for twenty minutes.’

‘Sorry,’ Dameron said. ‘I’ll get him to the medbay.’

‘Wait,’ Leia said, her eyes unfocused and turned towards the Falcon. ‘What happened?’

‘I got to the guns and he scared the crap out of me and insulted me and kicked me,’ Finn listed, pointing at the torn fabric and forming bruise on his knee. ‘And then he got me stuck there.’

‘That wasn’t there before,’ Tree Lady pointed out. ‘And concussions don’t do that.’

‘I don’t have a concussion,’ Finn said, then frowned. ‘How did we get here?’

Han held his breath. No concussion could conjure that story and Ben had pulled weirder stuff. ‘Leia?’

‘He’s here,’ she confirmed, a smile growing on her lips although troubled. ‘Alive. We better go get him.’

 

* * *

 

What was her problem?

Ben zig-zagged through the trees, away from trigger-happy scavengers. He tried to use the Force to destroy her blaster, only to be reminded of the collar around his neck.

To make matters worse, he had no idea where he was going and asking Grandfather for directions now would be embarrassing. His foot caught in a root and he fell into a patch of moss. Rey wasted no time and turned him on his back, pinning him down by sitting on him. The sudden flash of pain blinded him long enough to be unable to prevent it.

Every time he thought things couldn’t possibly get worse, the Force took it as a personal challenge. ‘Could you get off me. Not that I’m complaining, but this is a rather awkward position.’

She punched him in the side of the face. Hitting him seemed to be everyone’s favourite pastime lately. ‘Who are you?’

‘Not “what are you?” this time? Lucky me.’

‘Name.’

‘It would mean nothing to you. Could you move over just a bit?’ The blinding pain had lessened enough to be bearable. Still, he’d rather she sat elsewhere.

‘I’ll be the judge of that.’ She moved so it was only her knee pinning him down. It was less awkward but equally painful. ‘But seriously? Why is everyone defecting these last three days?’

‘Possibly because of the chances of meeting you on the battlefield,’ he tried to push her off. ‘Do you shoot at everything that moves?’

‘Hours ago, you had me strapped to a table and did something to my mind. Now you’re defecting?’

‘I defected days ago,’ he explained. ‘Does my face look like I went back willingly? And my back is in similar state. Would you please get off me?’

‘That didn’t happen in battle?’ she rolled aside and pulled him up. His vison went white again. ‘Is that a collar?’

Regaining his vision, he noted her face was quite close. ‘Blocks the Force. Didn’t want me to crash any ships.’

‘The Force?’

‘You know, what you used to escape,’ he said. ‘Anyway, I hope my little hint helped.’

‘You did that on purpose?’ Her mouth fell open.

‘I said I did,’ he reminded her. ‘Didn’t you hear me?’

‘I thought, it thought… I don’t know,’ she stammered, she pushed his head down. ‘I had no idea what was going on.’

‘Hey,’ he protested, done with being shoved around.

‘Sit still. I can get this thing off with a twig.’

‘Oh,’ he moved so she could reach more easily. ‘Please do.’

With some tugging and pushing, the damned thing fell to the ground. The Force flowed back into him. The singing of the birds, the insect crawling in the soil and the fish swimming in the rivers. All unbothered by the recent threat of instant annihilation, where terror radiated from the direction of the base. And Rey, her presence in the Force was brighter than he had ever witnessed.

But above all, for the first time in years, he sensed Mom. Her dread was all for his sake and he deserved none of it.

‘Did someone try to strangle you?’ Rey touching his throat snapped him back to the there and then. His throat felt sore and swollen. ‘And your back. Let me see it.’

She began unbuckling his belt. He tried to stop her but she was determined. ‘It’s fine. I’d like to keep my clothes on.’

Persevering in ignoring him, she pulled his shirt up. As little as he had felt the initial blows, as strongly did he feel the fabric sliding over the skin now. Her shock was like an explosion in the Force. ‘What are- are those burn scars? Underneath the…’

‘Oh, yeah. They healed that when they captured me.’

Another explosion in the Force. She looked him into the eye. ‘Ben Solo?’

‘Does mean something to you.’ he said, unsure whether it would be audible. ‘Right, you were travelling with Dad.’

‘But you died.’

‘Finn should really stop telling people that.’

She caught him when he fell over. ‘It’s fine. You will be fine. We’ll get you to Han and everything will be alright.’

If it were only that simple.

 

* * *

 

Leia watched as Han gave the ladder a shove. It crashed to the ground. It was a wonder Finn had made it up there at all.

‘I tried to stop him,’ Anakin said. He had been invisible when he had told her Ben had, in fact, been stowed away on the Falcon. Now, he had materialised.

Yet Han was none the wiser, which saved them a pointless repeat from the dining room scene three decades ago. ‘I’ll fix that later. You know where he went?’

‘Do I?’ She tilted her head, knowing Han would take it as a sign she was trying to focus. Used to be, she wouldn’t have even needed to concentrate to find Ben, but now she hardly sensed him even if she tried.

‘Right this way,’ Anakin said, walking off. ‘He’s still moving around at the moment, but he’ll need medical treatment soon.’

She had figured as much. It was unlikely the First Order had just patched him up and left him to rest.

Anakin led them to the main room, with Han oblivious to that particular detail.

The supposedly concealed escape hatch of the supposedly secret escape route stood crooked. Han stormed at it and tossed the panel aside. Sticking his hand inside, he exclaimed. ‘Water!’

She missed the relevance. The entire Falcon was drenched. He had probably landed it in a lake of something of the kind.

‘Starkiller base was covered in snow,’ Anakin explained. ‘One wookie and five humans, four as far as this genius is concerned, were dragging snow through this thing.’

‘No one had any business crawling through there,’ she concluded.

‘Exactly,’ Han said, unaware his explanation had been lacking. ‘Ben knew about this. If he wanted out unseen, this is where he would’ve gone through. But why?’

His anger flared. She sighed. ‘Patience, Han.’ She had to remind herself just as much. Ben was badly injured, yet he’d elected to play hide-and-seek.

‘Leia,’ Anakin said. ‘He’s afraid.’

She had expected as much, yet not feeling him in the Force agitated her.

‘You do your Force-thingey,’ Han walked to the door. ‘I’ll go look outside.’

‘Force-thingey?’ Anakin echoed after he’d left.

‘Why didn’t you just say he went outside?’

‘I didn’t know where this thing went.’ He crossed his arms. For a moment, she would’ve sworn he was pouting. ‘I only saw him climbing in here.’

Ahsoka had once mentioned he had had the tendency to pick the most inefficient methods at his disposal. ‘So much for being a ghost.’

Now, he was definitely pouting. ‘He blocked the connection. He told me to back off and now I can’t find him.’

It appeared the best way to get over one’s admiration of Darth Vader was spending a few days with the man, or ghost. Normally, it would’ve greatly amused her, now it was just a nuisance. ‘Also, “Stuff the exhaust port”?’

He shrugged. ‘I tried to explain it so she’d get it. I can’t argue with her skills in politics, but mechanics are lost on Pip.’

‘Pip?’

He looked away and muttered. ‘That’s what they call her. Not sure why.’

She opened her mouth to ask why _he_ called her that, but he had vanished before she could’ve produced a sound. Shaking her head, she walked out. She might have more luck outside. Before she reached, a shockwave of pain disrupted the Force.

_Ben._

 

* * *

 

Poe struggled to keep up with not-Kina. He’d been about to bring Finn to the medbay when she’d crouched to look under the Falcon, claiming to have seen people run away. Her brother- wherever that guy had come from- had said he ‘would drop this one off, say bye to Pip and prepare that flying trash heap to get that old dude back from that dirtball.’ Sounded like they’d an interesting time ahead of them.

‘Rey shot a tree,’ not-Kina said, pointing at a trunk as she skipped over some rocks.

He wondered what Finn’s friend was doing here, while also making a note not to tick her off.

Not much later, two figures emerged from the opposite direction. Ben was leaning heavily on who Poe assumed had to be Rey. He didn’t ask why she’d been shooting trees. Everyone had those days and this day had been an exceptionally shitty one.

‘Hey,’ Ben said in a weak voice, although still managing to sound offended. He had better not put up a fuss. They were in a hurry to get away from a pissed-off First Order. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Finding you, Jerkface,’ Poe said. ‘Nice going. You made your mom cry.’

‘None of your business, Dameron,’ he snapped, breaking out in a cough. Poe let it slide. The guy looked like he’d been used as a dummy for hand-to-hand combat training. Besides, that was about his average level of politeness.

‘We’ll take it from here.’ Not-Kina relieved Rey of what Poe knew to be a considerate weight. Poe moved to help, ignoring the muttered protests.

‘Thanks,’ Rey said, bouncing past them. ‘I’ll go get Han.’

‘We’re going straight to the evac,’ Poe called after her. If Ben was lucky, they would drop him into a bacta tank before Solo caught up.

 

* * *

 

‘I can walk on my own,’ Ben reminded them for the fourth time by the time they reached the edge of the woods, a few yards away from the Falcon. In his haste not to get shot, he hadn’t even noticed he hadn’t been running in a straight line.

‘Yes, we just don’t trust you to walk into the right direction,’ Brynda answered, having ignored him the first three times.

‘I met your brother,’ he said, hearing his own sheepishness.

‘Next time a rescue comes along, take it, Dunce.’

He was no expert on the matter, but he assumed abbreviated nicknames meant someone was pissed at you.

‘Dumbass,’ Poe added to the conversation. ‘If you fake your death one more time, you’ll wish you’d never left your little Jedi temple.’

Ben elected not to mention he’d accidentally destroyed said temple, with all that had ensued. ‘It’s not my fault your stormtrooper keeps telling people I’m dead. Also, I think he’s still on the Falcon.’

‘No, he’s in the medbay,’ Poe said. ‘Apparently, someone kicked him.’

‘I’d advise you focus on the headwound first. I really didn’t kick that hard.’

The looks they gave him suggested he’d better shut up or have his dumb ass introduced to the nearest puddle.

The airfield was filled with people running about, moving cargo and shouting orders. If any of them had noticed the former master of the knights of Ren- he assumed the title didn’t apply anymore- being hoisted around, they weren’t particularly bothered by it.

Poe and Brynda led him around all the buzzing people, unto a cruiser and into a medbay. Finn was already there, unconscious with medical equipment on his head. And a bandage around his knee. _Whoops._

A togruta woman sat by her bedside. Her clothing indicated she was no soldier and served a public roll. He guessed politician,but there’d been a few hundred senators in the republic senate alone and that was disregarding local politicians. Still, she had something familiar.

Poe pulled a meddroid from its lair in the wall. ‘Senator, mind setting him up? I’m getting the general and I don’t trust this lady.’

‘Hey,’ Brynda protested.

‘I don’t even know your name,’ Poe said.

‘Sounds like a you-problem,’ she shrugged.

‘I know her name,’ the senator said.

‘I know her name too,’ Ben added for the singular purpose of annoying Poe.

‘See,’ Brynda said. ‘A you-problem.’

Poe made a face. ‘Fine. Just drop him in a bacta-tank. Leia can’t be too far. I’ll be right back.’

‘Don’t,’ Ben said quickly. ‘I don’t want you to.’

Poe turned, seeming personally offended. ‘Oh? And why?’

_Ever the pushy kid._ ‘I don’t need to explain myself.’

Poe looked like he wanted to give him another reason to be in the medbay. The senator pulled him aside and they began talking in low voices.

Meanwhile, the meddroid had creeped up on Ben. He backed away. For some reason he couldn’t figure out, most droids freaked him out. It made being half-raised by droids an interesting experience.

‘What are you doing?’ Brynda asked.

‘Don’t like droids.’

‘Well, you need this one.’

‘I know,’ he mumbled. ‘By the way, what are you going to do?’

‘My brother and I are going to pick up our dad and go home,’ she answered, adding in a whisper. ‘You’re not still planning on going with me, are you?’

‘I can’t stay here.’

‘Why not?’

‘You promised,’ he argued, not in the mood to engage in elaborate arguments.

She all but rolled her eyes. ‘If that’s what you want, fine but I don’t think you should.’

‘That’s my business.’

At this point, Poe stormed out of the room as if he was going off on a crusade. The senator came back.

‘He’s going to get my mother, eh?’

‘I think so. He gave up too quickly.’

‘This is my cousin, by the way,’ Brynda added.

He looked at her human face and at the senator’s montral-framed one and elected not to comment. Hybrids were more common than people thought. Adoption was also a thing. ‘Good to meet you.’

‘We already met,’ she smiled. It would explain why she looked familiar, but he still couldn’t put his finger on it. Although, he would’ve probably remembered meeting a woman, or anyone, towering over him like that.

She turned to Brynda. ‘I believe you already know Takodana’s now a warzone.’

‘Yeah, I know. We still need to get our dad back,’ she said before turning to him. ‘Still want to come?’

‘I’m used to warzones,’ he said.

The senator blinked. ‘You’re taking him with you?’

‘Seems like it,’ she threw him a sideward glance.

‘Hurry then,’ the senator looked at the door. ‘Dameron isn’t going to take forever.’

That was a good point. He headed out, using the Force to keep his muscle coordinated. Funnily enough, he sensed neither Mom’s or Dad’s presence while they were certainly near. It smelled of Grandfather’s interference.

Brynda caught up. ‘What are you running from? The First Order is still lightyears away.’

He remembered the crashed ship accident from when he had been twelve. It had ended with him being grabbed by the neck, dragged away and yelled at. That was about the best he could hope for if they saw him now.

Nothing of the kind had happened by the time they reached the nearest ramp. Brynda led that way, aggravatingly, and likely purposely, slow. It was a long few minutes, crammed between the crawling crowd, from which anyone could spring. Mom, Dad, jumpy scavengers, Fuzzballs, Poe, or anyone who happened to recognise him.

They ended up before a sad collection of spare parts seemingly throwing together by a giant toddler in the sore need of a nap. ‘Let me guess, it only looks old?’

‘Bingo.’

Hux’s former adjutant sat waiting on the ramp, sporting a well-deserved grin. It turned to confusion when he saw them. ‘Why’s he here?’

‘He’s coming along,’ Brynda said. ‘You start the ship, I’ll drop him in the medbay.’

‘Whatever,’ he jumped up. ‘As long as he isn’t going to push me out of any stinking elevators again.’

‘If you don’t put me on trial again,’ Ben countered.

‘Fair enough,’ he nodded. ‘My name’s Dale, by the way.’

‘Sounds better.’ As soon as he spoke, he felt a familiar sensation. He turned and scanned the crowd, his stomach already tying itself into a knot, but he didn’t see her. Still, he knew. Mom was watching him.

 

* * *

 

 

Poe was having none of that _He has to want it or it won’t matter_ crap. Where was Leia? Pushing through the endless crowd, he found her husband with Rey just behind. He could work with that.

‘Hiding in the medbay,’ he said before Solo could ask, pointing out the way. Solo’s glowering and stomping made him rethink his decision. Maybe he should get Leia first.

But at least, Ben would drop his dumbass behaviour. He wasn’t going to thank him for it, but he could take it. He used to deal with Snoke on a daily basis. Poe had done that once and wasn’t inclined to repeat the experience. Miffed Dad shouldn’t be a problem. Try miffed Leia, that would be something.

But it so turned out he had underestimated Ben’s potential for dumbassery.

When they reached the medbay, Ben wasn’t just hiding anymore, he had left altogether. Senator Tano had been waiting for them to wrap the entire thing up in a nice story Poe didn’t take the trouble of listening to.

Solo rattled of a tirade Poe wasn’t about to repeat. The senator booked it, Finn stirred in his sickbed and Rey nodded along avidly. Not-Kina had better stay out of the old guy’s way for a while and Ben had better have a hell of an apology ready, or a really good hiding spot.

The noise attracted Leia. She silenced him with one of her looks. ‘Han, he made his choice. We have to accept that.’

‘You already know?’ Solo asked.

‘Yes,’ she sighed and folded her arms. ‘Patience, remember?’

Poe held a deep admiration for anyone who could’ve mustered any patience whatsoever for this buffoon’s act.

‘Captain,’ Leia called his attention. ‘Ready the fleet. We might have to fight our way out of here.’

 

* * *

 

Han paced around Lei’s makeshift office. ‘Why is he doing this?’

Leia looked up from the datareader. ‘He’s afraid, Han. We knew this wasn’t going to be easy.’

He crossed his arms, not in the mood to be patient. ‘He almost died, several times. And we don’t know if he’s injured, or even where he’s going. We know nothing.’

‘This is his path to walk,’ Leia said. ‘He’ll come back to us when he’s ready.’

‘If he wants to sulk, he can do it here,’ he grumbled. ‘This is not a game. He can be mad all he wants, but we can’t let him do this.’

‘We can and we will,’ Leia countered. ‘He’s not a child anymore.’

He scowled, knowing he wasn’t going to win this argument. ‘So, what are we going to do?’

She leaned back in her chair. ‘Artoo woke up. He completed the map.’

‘At least, we can go and find Luke,’ he sighed. ‘Do you think he saw it right? Six years ago, I mean. What could he have really seen? He was under a pile of rubble.’

‘I don’t know,’ Leia shook her head. ‘Things are rarely as they seem.’

‘Agreed,’ he muttered. ‘So, what’s next?’

She rested her chin on her hand. ‘I’ve asked Rey to do so and gave her some time to think it over. Chewie has agreed to watch over her. I sensed she’s already made up her mind and the Falcon is the fastest ship we have and one of the few we can be sure can make the journey undetected. Which leaves one question.’

He scratched the back of his neck. ‘What will I do.’

‘Yes,’ she locked eyes with him. ‘What will you do?’

‘You need me here.’

She smiled. ‘I’ll manage. I always have.’

He, too, smiled at the memory. ‘I made a bunch of promises thirty years ago and I know I haven’t always been the greatest husband around.;

‘There’s still time,’ she said.

‘There is,’ he agreed. ‘And he could come back any day.’

‘Yes,’ she sighed, but fondly. ‘He has always been an impulsive one.’

‘I need to be there when he does,’ Han sighed. ‘I’m not going to make that mistake again.’

‘Good,’ Leia said. ‘He’s going to need both of us.’

‘There is a slight chance I’ll track him down and tie him up,’ he joked while strongly feeling the urge to do so.

‘Try words,’ she sighed. ‘It’ll last longer.’

‘Just an idea.’

She gave him the _What An Adorable Idiot_ look before shifting her gaze to the door. ‘Rey, dear. Come in.’

The door opened and Rey came in, carefully. ‘I don’t want to intrude.’

‘You’re not,’ Leia assured her. ‘What is it?’

She nodded, her chin trembling. ‘I came to say goodbye.’

‘Hey,’ Han said. ‘What’s with the sad face? Off to explore space and annoy Luke. That’s the most fun you’re going to get, speaking from experience.’

‘Chewie said you’d be staying here,’ she nodded. ‘He told me to tell you not to screw it up again. He didn’t say what _it_ was.’

_Thanks for the confidence, Fuzzball._

Han began to wonder if he was getting predictable in his old age. He hadn’t even thought about it and Chewie had already guessed. ‘Tell him I won’t. Also, if you really want to see Luke really annoyed, ask him about Dagobah. It’s hilarious.’

‘What’s Dagobah?’

‘Ask him.’

‘Will do,’ she snickered, turning to Leia and taking the lightsaber she’d been keeping on her belt. ‘Maz said this belonged to your father. I should not be the one to keep it.’

‘It did once,’ Leia confirmed. ‘And then it belonged the Luke. I trust you to keep it until he’s ready to accept it again.’

Han was baffled by two things. First, that lightsaber had belonged to Darth Vader? He was pretty sure Bail Organa had never wielded one. Luke had conveniently left that out, but it made sense. Old Ben had raised and trained Anakin Skywalker before he became Darth Vader and he had given that lightsaber to Luke.

Second, Leia had remained completely calm at the mention of her birth father. That was a first.

Rey put it away. ‘I should be going then.’

‘Give ‘em hell, kid,’ Han said.

Her chin began trembling all over again. She threw her arms around him and squeezed his ribs. She was a whole lot stronger than she looked.

‘Easy there. I’m an old man.’ He patted her on the back.

She released the iron grip on his ribs and smiled. ‘I’ll be back before you know it. With Luke.’

‘You better be,’ he said as she headed out.

‘See. That wasn’t so difficult,’ Leia chuckled.

‘What is?’

‘Words.’

 

* * *

 

‘I don’t like any of this,’ Dad’s voice sounded from the other room.

Ben kept as still as he could. He wasn’t supposed to be listening at the door and everyone was already angry with him.

‘Luke’s doing what he can,’ Mom said.

‘I am,’ Luke said with that even voice he used when he was mad but didn’t want to be. ‘But it isn’t getting any better. I have tried everything, but it’s getting out of hand.’

No one spoke for seconds until Mom asked. ‘How’s the other boy?’

‘Rowan will be fine,’ Luke said. ‘The bones are almost mended. Still, we can’t have something like this happen again.’

Ben bit his cheek to not make a sound. It had been an accident. They had been playing and Rowan had pushed him. He had pushed back, but before he knew it, Rowan had flown through the air and landed on a rock. His arm had been twisted in a weird way. Luke had been so angry he hadn’t even tried to pretend he was just disappointed. He had been afraid too. No one had talked to him much since.

‘What is it?’ Mom asked, continuing when no one answered. ‘You don’t think it was an accident?

‘Well...’

Dad interrupted. ‘What else could it have been? You think he wanted this?’

‘There’s nothing like it in the Jedi archives,’ Luke said. ‘These outburst happened with very young children and only sporadically. With Ben’s age and training, it shouldn’t be happening anymore. I don’t think it’s a matter of control as much as it is a matter of temper. He has always been quick to anger. He might not even admit to himself he’s doing it, but I can’t find another explanation.’

‘Nine hells, Luke,’ Dad almost yelled. ‘He’s ten years old. Kids get angry. Kids fight and if they have…whatever Ben has, it gets out of hand. What are you expecting?’

Ben felt cold tingles at the back of his head. He had been angry and he had wanted to push back, but not like that. Why did it keep happening? What was wrong with him? Had he really just wanted to? If Luke said so.

‘I’m just saying, we should look at it from another angle,’ Luke said. ‘Maybe it aren’t his powers that are unstable, maybe he is.’

‘He is ten!’

‘I’m sorry. I phrased that wrong,’ Luke said, suddenly sounding tired. ‘What I mean is, something needs to be done and we might have to look at possibilities we don’t like. He’s young and we can still guide him, but we need to get to the root of this problem.’

_I told you, they don’t trust you. They fear you and no one can love what they fear._ The voices said. Luke had said to ignore them. They were just mean thoughts, but they still made him cry. It went silent on the other side of the door.

The monsters appeared again in the shadows of the room, dancing and singing. _Little, little monster, just like us._ He ran away, outside and into the darkness of the night.

‘Wake up,’ a kind voice said at the exact same time the night lit up.

He remembered. This wasn’t real, only a memory. He had been in a medbay, waiting for the anesthetics to kick in.

‘Good, calm your mind. You’re almost there.’ A presence with no shape, just bright light keeping the darkness at bay.

‘Who are you?’

‘That does not matter. I’ve been one with the Force for over sixty years.’

Ben forced his eyes open, looking into another bright light. A medical lamp. Two pair of amber eyes stared at him.

Dale helped him to sit. ‘You alright? The meddroid was halfway when you started kicking it. Then you thrashed it with magic.’

‘Oh.’ The pain on his back and throat was reduced to dull throbbing and itching. Nowhere near comfortable, but it would do. The droid was in two mangled pieces on the floor.

‘We’ll fix that,’ Brynda grimaced. ‘You said you didn’t like droids, but what was that? Was it, you know, another one?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Another what?’ Dale asked. ‘Does he do that a lot?’

‘You weren’t asleep,’ she noted, ignoring her brother.

‘Unconscious, that was enough.’

‘Stang,’ she frowned and crossed her arms. She radiated the expectation of a fight nearing. Dale, on the other hand, was unreadable in the Force. Clear, but betraying nothing. Ben wasn’t sure how he was doing it, but it would explain how he had fooled both Snoke and Maura for so long. Still, his face said enough.

‘Something is wrong. What’s happening?’

The two exchanged a glance. Brynda was the first to speak. ‘We picked up a little surprise on our radar. If someone isn’t going to do something about it soon, the resistance will be dust.’

‘That’s bad,’ he remarked, noting the irony. A week ago, that had been one of his goals. Not a very enthusiastic one, but it had been on his list. ‘What now?’

There was little they could do with only the three of them, a ship that only looked old and a smashed meddroid. If it was beyond the resistance, it would most definitely be beyond them.

‘Depends,’ Dale said. ‘Can you take down a dreadnought?’

 


	30. Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It took me a while to finish it this time as well. All the time in the world now and all it got me was a writer's block. For everyone else stuck in home isolation or quarantine, I hope this keeps you busy for an hour or two.

On his way to the hangar, Poe stopped to peek into the medbay. Finn silently lay sleeping. The medical graphs seemed fine. Still, he wanted to be a little more sure. He walked in and took Finn’s heart rate manually. Slow and steady.

BB-8 stuck his head through the door opening. ‘Baby stormtrooper fine. Go.’

‘I know, I know,’ Poe hushed. ‘Don’t wake him up.’

‘Go,’ BB-8 insisted. ‘Fly, shoot, bang.’

‘Got it.’ Poe hurried to return to his way to the hangar. ‘But I don’t want any complaining when we get there this time.’ He opened his commlink. ‘What’s the situation, General?’

‘Their fleet is on its way,’ Leia said. ‘We don’t know exactly how many ships yet, but we know we don’t stand a chance. We do know the Knights of Ren are currently incapacitated and Hux is likely the one leading the attack.’

‘I’m seriously wondering about those sources, General,’ Poe remarked.

‘Keep wondering,’ she said. ‘Any suggestions on how to get out of this one?’

‘Maybe one. Yeah, I got something,’ Poe answered. ‘I’ve got one hell of a distraction.’

‘Distraction?’ Solo’s voice sounded distantly through the commlink. ‘He’s going to distract an entire fleet?’

‘Nah,’ Poe said. ‘Just the General.’

‘May the Force help us,’ Leia said. ‘I’ve got nothing better.’

‘Uhm, General?’ the senator spoke. ‘It just got worse.’

 

* * *

 

‘Chewie?’ Rey walked into the Falcon’s cockpit. ‘Are we ready to go?’

‘Now we are.’ He looked over his shoulder from where he sat at the control panel. ‘Was I right?’

‘Yeah,’ she sat down herself while Chewie activated the engines. ‘He stayed.’

‘Figured he would,’ Chewie said. ‘Meet Artoo. He used to go everywhere Luke did.’

At the other side of his chair, a pre-empire model astromech whirred and turned his single eye to her. ‘You’re not that scruffy pilot that usually flies this thrash heap.’

She frowned. ‘Nice to meet you too, I guess. I’m Rey.’

‘That’s nothing personal,’ Chewie said. ‘That’s just how he talks. Did they have any idea where Ben went?’

‘I don’t get it,’ Rey said. The next time she’d run into him, she would have a few words for him, perhaps a stunbolt too. ‘Why would anyone run away from their family?’

‘I’ve stopped questioning it when humans do weird stuff,’ he sighed. ‘But it’s just that complicated, I guess.’

Rey considered commenting on her own status as a human, but Artoo chimed in before she had the chance.

‘Humans aren’t the problem, just Skywalker humans and related are dumb.’ It wasn’t his exact wording, but it was a close enough translation.

‘I don’t think Luke Skywalker is dumb,’ Rey noted.

‘Yeah, he’s average,’ Artoo beeped. ‘Want to see the really dumb one? He got twenty head injuries and no one noticed the difference. Until they did.’

Who could he be talking about? ‘Sure.’

Chewie tensed, opening his mouth to say something, but when the projector sprung alive, he remained quiet and stared.

A man in strange clothing moved around what appeared to be a workshop with crates stacked alongside the walls and across the floor. His back was turned to the origin of the recording.

‘That’s not him,’ Artoo said. ‘That’s just the old guy that never knew anything was wrong. Until he did. Pretended not to know who I was last time.’

_‘Artoo-detoo, come over here for a moment,’ the man called, stalking around the workshop and turning his head as if looking for something._

_‘Nope-nope-nope.’ Artoo’s articulator sounds echoed. The recording shifted and focussed onto the opposite wall, closing in on it before abruptly distancing again._

_‘Where could he possibly be?’ the man asked, appearing back into the recording._

_‘Figure it out, smartypants.’_

_He pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘Please, I’ve been looking for the past hour.’_

_‘Use the Force,’ Artoo mocked._

_‘I wonder whether the men could use some spare parts.’_

_‘Fine,’ Artoo whirred. ‘But you owe me now. He’s never going to stop whining about it.’ A manipulator came into the recording and pointed upwards._

_The man looked up and planted his fist into his sides. ‘What are you doing up there? Get down.’_

_‘I’m not here,’ someone answered._

_The man, understandably, seemed to have no patience for that. ‘Anakin, I can see you… And hear you.’_

_‘No, you don’t.’_

_‘Yes, I can,’ the man said. ‘Now, get down here. They need you in the council chamber.’_

_‘The council doesn’t need me, since they all seem to know so well.’_

_The man turned back to Artoo. ‘What’s with him this time?’_

_Artoo beeped a sequence too filled with clutter and profanity to be coherent. He ended with a decisive screech._

_‘He misses his Snips?’ the man had somehow managed to make something of it, although with a dropped jaw. ‘What do you mean, he- Anakin, we talked about this.’_

_‘No, you told me to shut up about it.’_

_‘The past is the past,’ the man said. ‘Get down here, now!’_

_‘Leave me alone!’_

_The man sighed. ‘Three seconds. If you’re not down here by three seconds-.’_

_‘One, two…’ It sounded like an adult’s voice._

_The man touched one hand to his beard and reached out the other towards the mountain of crates he had been staring up to and clenched his fist. Something outside of the recording rumbled, then crashed._

Artoo did his version of laughter. ‘Got plenty more in case you get bored.’

Chewie’s mouth stood ajar and his eyes narrowed.

‘What is it?’ She asked.

‘Nothing,’ he shook his head. ‘Just had my expectations subverted. Why don’t you get some sleep? I can handle the flying for now.’

 

* * *

 

‘Can I what now?’

‘A dreadnought,’ Dale repeated. ‘Can you take down a dreadnought?’

‘I heard you the first time.’ Ben slid off the surgery table. ‘Of course, I can’t. Have you seen the size of those things?’

‘I’ve seen you pull unlikelier stunts,’ Dale said. ‘Look, we know the state you’re in and we wouldn’t be asking if we had another way out of this poodoo heap, but we don’t.’

‘What would you have me do?’ He asked. ‘If you get me close enough, I can maybe take out a few cannons but the Force isn’t a fix-it-all.’

‘Believe me, I know,’ Dale groaned.

Brynda frowned and pulled out some device. ‘Can you take out the engines instead? If we get you inside, I mean.’

He hesitated. Scrapping one metal construct or another would make much of a difference and he wished Hux good luck chasing down he resistance with a ship dead in space. ‘How would we get inside? It has shields, sensors, a several inches thick hull. They’ll notice us.’

‘Leave that to us,’ she said. ‘I’ll try to contact the resistance. Dale, you go prep the pod.’

Dale grinned. ‘And leave them another notice of leave, in case they didn’t notice the last time.’

‘Sure, Hotshot. Move it.’

Dale left like a puppy wagging his tail.

‘Pod?’ Ben asked.

‘You’ll see,’ she fished something from her pocket and handed it to him. ‘Here, for when you feel the irresistible urge to wander off again.’

‘That was on- twice… Okay, three times.’

‘Airfield, Takodana, elevator situation,’ she recounted. ‘We’re not counting the desert show?’

‘I didn’t take a step during the entirety of it.’ He looked to the device in his hand, a commlink. As long as it wasn’t another tracker.

‘You randomly showed up in a desert, how do you even manage it?’

He shrugged. ‘Poe can’t dodge.’

‘That’s the reason?’ She raised an eyebrow. ‘Every time?’

‘It’s how it started.’

‘Sure,’ she gave half a smirk and hesitate before adding. ‘Your killer-cyborg grandpa ghost going to be any help?’

‘Uh, I kind of told him to back off earlier,’ he muttered. ‘He isn’t here anymore at the moment.’

She nodded with an odd expression. ‘Okay.’

Ben looked into the Force to see what that face meant. He dropped his shoulders. ‘You think I made him up, uh?’

She held up her hands. ‘Human minds do that sometimes.’

‘I’m not crazy.’

‘I’m not saying you are,’ she said. ‘It’s a completely normal reaction to a crazy situation.’

He sighed. ‘I wasn’t hallucinating.’

‘If you say so.'

 

* * *

 

‘Dumb pilot, boom, one million pieces,’ BB-8 whirred from his place in the back.

‘Happy beeps, buddy,’ Poe said, checking every lamp and switch on the control panel. ‘We’ve pulled crazier stunts than this.’

‘For the records,’ Leia said through the comms with some background noise originating from her husband. ‘I’m with the droid on this one.’

‘Thanks for your support, General,’ he joked before closing the channel to open one to the First Order command cruiser. ‘Here we go. Happy beeps.’ As soon as the comms connected, he fixed his voice. ‘Attention, this is Commander Poe Dameron of the resistance fleet. I have an urgent communicate for General Hugs.’

BB-8 might be proven right and they would get blown to a million pieces, but at least he would be amused doing it.

‘This is General Hux of the First Order,’ A bombastic voice barked through the speakers. ‘The republic is no more. Your fleet are rebel scum and war criminals. Tell your precious princess there will be no terms. There will be no surrender.’ This guy was just a little sunshine.

Poe ignored the tirade in its entirety, although surprised he had already gotten this far. ‘Hi, I’m holding for General Hux.’

‘This is General Hux.’ He said a tad less bombastic for just a little more than a second. ‘You and your friends are doomed. We will wipe your filth from the galaxy.’

The fate of the resistance and the entire universe depended on his ability to keep his voice steady. ‘Okay, I’ll hold.’

‘Hello?’ He sounded quite embarrassed his entire speech may have been aimed at a dead commchannel.

‘Hello, yup. Still here.’

‘Can you- can he hear me?’

This was about as long as this prank was going to last. Time to end it with a zinger. ‘Hugs? With an H, skinny guy, kind of pasty?’

It took a while before he answered. ‘I can hear you. Can you hear me?’

Ben hadn’t been kidding with the rigid moron thing. ‘Look, I can’t hold forever. If you reach him, tell him Leia has an urgent message for him.’

A new voice spoke on the other side of the comms. One with more brains. ‘Sir, believe he’s toying with you.’

‘About his mother,’ Poe added. ‘She’s a wonderful daughter-in-law.’ He heard some faint giggling. Some poor First Order personnel with a functional sense of humour were going to be in serious trouble.

But here comes the punchline. He hit the turbo engine and was hurled into the back of his seat by the sudden velocity. He pulled up a second before he would’ve crashed into the hull of the dreadnought and shot down every cannon along his path, clearing the way. ‘Taking out the cannons now. Tally, make your approach.’

‘Copy that.’

He assessed his surroundings. ‘One left.’

‘Behind,’ BB-8 blared. ‘Dumb pilot. One million pieces.’

An entire squadron appeared on the scanners. ‘And here comes the parade.’

Due to the evasive actions he took, he missed the last cannon but still, a blast rammed into his fighter. An alarm lit up on the panel. Poe held his breath and pushed the triggers. Nothing happened. ‘No, dammit. BB-8 the weapon systems are down We have to take out that last cannon or our bombers toast. Make your magic work, buddy.’

A hatch screeched open, followed by a bang and some whirring. At the same time, everything bathed in red light. He saw the red beam hurling for the base. His heart seemed to stop.

‘The last transport is in the air.’ Lieutenant Connix said through the comms, saving him from a badly-timed panic attack.

‘You did it, Poe,’ Leia said. ‘Get your squad back here so we can get out of this place.’

‘No, General.’ This might be the only chance they’d ever get. ‘No, General. We’ve got the chance to take down a dreadnought. These things are fleetkillers. We can’t let it get away.’

‘Disengage now, commander. That’s an order,’ Leia said. Solo mumbled something in the background that sounded awfully much like ‘Huffed-up Rookie’.

Poe disengaged the comms. He and Leia would talk it out after he and his pilots had taken out that monstrosity.

‘The hell, Dameron? Turning off your comms? What are you, three years old?’

‘What?’ Poe flipped the switch on and off again. His systems had taken a hit, but that didn’t explain how not-Kina had gotten on his commchannel.

‘I got the feeling you think a switch is going to get me off the comms,’ she said. ‘The two suns will rise in opposite directions before that happens, pall. Now, turn it back on or I’ll do it for you.’

‘Back off, would you,’ Poe flipped the switch a few more times. ‘I’m in the middle of something.’

‘Yeah, wait a second,’ she paused. ‘So the rest of us want you to get out of the middle of that something. Tell him, General.’

‘No, we’re blowing this thing up,’ Poe said.

‘I’d rather you don’t,’ not-Kina said. ‘My brother and Ben are on there.’

 

* * *

 

‘So the escape pod is actually a boarding craft?’ Ben sat back while Dale steered the pod through the deflector shield. It wouldn’t stop something as small and slow as this pod. Imagine the shield getting drained by every rock it hit.

‘Yeah, will cut right through that hull,’ Dale said. ‘And all they see on the scanner is space thrash.’

‘Just to be clear, do we have a specific target?’ Ben asked. ‘Engines is a broad definition.’

‘Whatever we can get our find,’ he shrugged. ‘We never managed to our hands on the blueprint of this hellship.’

‘Then how do we know we’re actually going into the engines?’

‘We don’t,’ he grunted. ‘We just picked the most logical location to have engines at.

‘Wait, we’re going in blind?’

‘You ask a lot of questions, you know that?’ Dale said as the ship rocked. He pushed a few buttons. ‘Cutting sequence activated.’

‘But we’re going in blind?’

‘Oh, and now that’s a problem for you?’ Dale raised an eyebrow at them. ‘But yeah, blind. Wherever we end up, we’re going to do as much damage as we can and leave.’

‘Wreck stuff,’ Ben nodded. ‘I can do that.’

‘I noticed. Everybody noticed,’ Dale remarked. ‘Did you know it was unofficial protocol to vacate the area whenever you were having one of your moments. If we’re lucky, they’ll still do that and we can thrash the place in peace.’

‘Oh.’ He hadn’t been surprised people never approached him afterward, but now he thought about it, the hallways had always been suspiciously empty.

‘I’ll be sticking bombs everywhere I can reach,’ Dale said. ‘Try not to trip any alarms. Machinery is the only thing I want to fight today. We’re there.’

He was more than a little relieved they didn’t let this entire operation ride on a guy they’d just plucked off a surgery table. ‘I do hope you’ve got a little more than this.’

‘Creativity and the Force,’ Dale said, hopefully joking. Luke had taken him on fun field trips more carefully laid out than this. ‘What do you think happens if we detach this pod when we’re done?’

‘Vacuum of space,’ Ben guessed. ‘That will make repairs a lot harder. But still.’

‘I know this is desperate,’ Dale threw his head back. ‘Guess what, we are desperate. We have no other options and we might not even make a difference. We might die trying, but it’s always like that. If we never do anything…’

‘I agree,’ Ben paused. ‘This is desperate and we got nothing better.’

Dale blinked, then shrugged. ‘Good enough for me. Let’s get at it.’ He opened a hatch and with some difficulty, they climbed through a hull that was specifically designed not to have people crawling through.

Ben gaped at the incomprehensibly large collection of massive, moving and screeching parts. Pipelines ten times the circumference of his arm lead into and out of countless tanks and devices.

‘So?’ Dale asked, stupefied as well. ‘Where do we begin?’

‘You tell me. This was your plan,’ Ben said. A fighter he could probably have taken apart and put back together. The average transport or freighter wouldn’t have been too much of a problem either given he’d have the time, but this was way beyond his scope.

‘Go stab stuff,’ Dale said while sticking what was likely an explosive to a beam. ‘But stay close. No elevators, no scavengers, and most certainly no ticked-off locals with poison darts. Please.’

‘That happened once.’ He took out his lightsaber and cut up some wiring running up the nearest wall.

‘Yes, each of your stunts is unique. You used to drive the administrative division nuts.’ He stopped and looked up from his explosive-sticking. ‘And I think you might have just cut their power. Maybe got some officers stuck inside their rooms with no lighting. I’m all for petty revenge, but try the big stuff.’

‘What is the big stuff?’

‘That might be the hyperdrive.’ He pointed to a cluster of glowing parts. ‘Just smash it or something.’

‘Or something,’ he echoed, reaching his hand to crumple it through the Force.

‘At least they’re not going anywhere now,’ Dale said.

‘Not very fast at least,’ Ben remarked. ‘Are you sure that was the hyperdrive?’

‘Ask the Force.’

‘That’s not how it works,’ he rolled his eyes. ‘It’s not a giant, floating sign telling me what to do.’

‘I’ve noticed.’ Dale went on sticking bombs to seemingly random parts. ‘That reminds me of something. That Grandfather of yours, that Jedi knight that went batshit crazy and terrorised the universe practically redesigned the republic cruisers during the Clone Wars. Pretty sure they scratched that from the history books six years ago when it came out he just put on a mask and changed his name. Anyway, too bad you only inherited the stabbing skills.’

Ben dropped his head, almost hearing Grandfather laughing at him. Why did no one tell him those things on time?

‘Hey, what are you standing there for?’ Dale asked. ‘Go back to the stabbing.’

For once, it was nice having a decent reason to cut something up, but aimlessly tearing away at whatever was closest was going to cause some minor inconveniences at best. Asking the Force might be worth a try. He let it stream into him, letting it into his consciousness.

His vision focussed on an enormous pipeline overhead. He jumped and landed squarely on top of it. Sure of what to do, he drove his lightsaber through the durasteel. Something rammed his jaw, sending backwards off the pipe. The Force broke his fall and landed on his feet.

He put away his lightsaber and touched his jaw on the place of impact. Blue, slimey liquid stuck to his hand. Fuel.

Dale stuck his head out above whatever it was he was standing behind. Good thing he hadn’t seen that. ‘What was that?’

‘Did you know there’s a lot of pressure behind a fuel line?’

Dale looked from him to the stream dripping from the pipes and the growing puddle on the floor. ‘Did you jump and fall off there?’

‘More important, I think I got something,’ Ben said.

‘This thing can survive twenty cracked fuel lines, probably more.’ Dale walked to the puddle and stuck an explosive next to it.

‘The Force told me to do it,’ Ben argued. ‘There must be a reason.’

‘Could it be the Force is playing a prank on you?’ He stared at him.

_Yeah, my life._ ‘I sure hope not.’

‘It’s on your face. You got knocked off the pipe, eh?’

Ben hushed him. ‘I think I got something.’

‘Sure, dodge the question,’ Dale said. ‘Let’s hurry. We don’t have forever.’

‘How many of those explosives you got left?’

Dale lifted up the bag. Half-filled. ‘We’re definitely going to annoy them, but I doubt it’s going to stop this thing.’

‘Or it might.’ He closed his eyes and let himself become one with the Force. Every turn, scratch and dent in the fuel grid became part of him. He felt the fuel as if it were the blood coursing through his veins. Without moving a muscle, he lifted the remaining bombs from the bag and relocated them through vents and shafts to where they needed to be. He detached the ones already stuck to the walls and moved them to join the formation across the fuel grid. In a circle.

Deducing from the distance the explosives had travelled, at least twenty minutes must’ve passed. When he opened his eyes, Dale was frantically waving in his face. ‘Anyone home? We have to go.’

‘We do.’ He clenched his fist, cracking the pipelines near every explosive. His knees trembled ad his stomach turned. ‘Pod, the escape-.’ Bile rose up his throat.

‘Uh, escape pod,’ Dale nodded and snatched his shoulder. ‘What were you doing?’

‘Maximal efficiency positioning.’ He vaguely registered being shoved into the pod and dumped against a wall. The hatch screeched, hopefully shut.

‘Efficiency what for?’

‘Half.’ He managed before his eyes fell shut. _Take that, Supreme Fuck._

 

* * *

 

‘What?’ At least five different voices asked at the approximately same time. Solo was the loudest, the general was remarkably silent, Poe sounded personally offended and the rest Brynda didn’t recognise.

‘You heard me,’ she said.

‘Tell them to get out of there,’ Poe demanded. ‘We’re blowing that thing up.’

‘No, you’re not,’ General Organa said. ‘Pull the fleet out now.’

‘ But-.’

‘That’s an order.’

‘And really, that thing is likely to blow already,’ Brynda said. It was a natural consequence of letting Dale near such structures unsupervised and with a bag of explosives. ‘and if not, the engines are going to be scrap metal.’ Which she had heard was a natural consequence of letting a frustrated, pissed-off Ben near such structures, supervised or not.

‘What are they doing in there?’ Solo demanded.

‘Scrapping it, of course,’ Brynda repeated.

‘No, I mean how, when, why?’ Solo asked. She wasn’t sure which one to answer first. ‘What were they thinking?’

‘Assume no one was thinking at all,’ Padme added to the conversation. Apparently, they had let her into the control room. ‘It’s their modus operandi.’

‘How would you know?’ Solo asked, accompanied by a chorus of similar questions.

‘They’re my cousins,’ Padme said. ‘As far as I’m aware, thinking is not in their repertoire.’

‘We trust in the Force,’ Brynda joked, the subject of a long-standing discussion.

‘The only way you’d ever trust in the Force would be if you could isolate it in a test tube,’ Padme said. ‘But to the point, I believe she sent them onto the dreadnought with a little science project of hers. A flying metal box with lasersaws strapped to it.’

‘Tell me what you really think,’ Brynda said. ‘They should be back any moment -.’ The sensors blinked, indicating they’d picked up the signal from the pod. ‘Now, they’re here now. Give me a second.’ Solo’s chattering functioned as background noise while she connected to the pod’s frequency. ‘How’d go?’

‘That thing’s engines were a lot bigger than we thought and your pal here either lost his marbles or we’re going to outdo ourselves,’ Dale answered. ‘Also, he almost puked and I think he passed out.’

‘Nah, he looked like that last time too. He’ll be fine in a minute,’ she said. ‘What’s the damage in there?’

‘Not much yet. Still got to ignite the explosives,’ Dale said. ‘But uh, can you get the fleet to get as far away as possible?’

‘I think so. Why? You didn’t have the stuff to blow it up that much.’

‘Maybe we did. Something about a half.’

‘What?’

‘Just do it.’

‘Okay, okay.’ She switched back to the resistance comms. Solo had stopped making noise. ‘Good news, it might have worked. Bad news, you really want to get out of there, Poe. Most likely, I think. Something with a half.’

‘What?’ Poe asked.

‘Don’t know. Just get out of there.’

‘We were already retreating,’ Poe said. ‘Because _some people_ got in the way.’

‘Good.’ She switched back to Dale’s channel. ‘They were already retreating cause we blaster-blocked them.’

‘Finally,’ Dale answered. ‘I was getting curious whether this guy is a genius or a madman. I’m boarding in two minutes and then we’ll see.’

Back to the resistance channel. ‘Something is going to happen in two minutes. Stay sharp.’

‘What’s going on out there?’ Solo opened another barrage of questions. ‘Where is he now? What was with that “Half”?’

‘Not sure what happened exactly,’ she decided to answer in order the questions were asked. ‘He’s on that flying box and now boarding this ship and I think he tried to explain whatever that half referred to and passed out before he could make sense.’

‘Passed out?!’

‘Yeah, he did that last time too,’ she said. ‘Forcey-stuff, I think.’

‘Forcey-stuff,’ Poe laughed. ‘What did he do this time? Hypnotise the-holy crap. What was that? The scanners are going crazy.’

‘It seems,’ a woman said. ‘That the dreadnought is in _Half._ Well, not actually in half, but the hull has been blown up from the inside along its entire circumference. It’s not destroyed, but it’s dead in space.’

‘We could’ve done better,’ Poe said. ‘By the way, Whatever-your-name-is, get that bastard on the comms. Bastard meant figuratively, General.’

‘And we need to have a talk about the chain of command,’ General Organa said. Poe’s comms mysteriously went dead. He must’ve cut the power to the mics and speakers. Couldn’t blame him.

Brynda looked at the alert indicating the pod had boarded. This was going to be a lousy trick on her part, but this running-away situation was making everyone miserable, especially the one running away. If they could just get him over the first part. ‘Everyone else, get off the comms.’ She turned off the mics just in case Solo felt the need to be loud again. ‘And shut it, Solo.’

‘I didn’t say anything.’ Ben came sauntering in the cockpit, covered in fuel stains and with a content smile on his pale face. If he had been laying around in the snow of Starkiller base like that, she wouldn’t have noticed.

She pressed the button to close and lock the door behind him just in case. ‘Say hi.’

‘Hi?’ He frowned at her while he plopped down on the other chair. ‘Your brother is still in the hangar. He wanted to take pictures or something.’

‘Figures.’ She reached to turn the mics back on, having to force herself to do so. It somehow felt like setting off a bomb. For a few moments, it was silent while Ben tried to figure out what button she had just pushed.

Solo spoke first, softly now. ‘Ben, are you alright?’

Ben turned even paler, gradually shifting to green. Waves of panic and nausea rolled of him. She hadn’t expected him to stay calm entirely, but the sensation made even her stomach turn into a knot. _This was a mistake._

‘Can you say something?’ the general asked. ‘Can you tell us if you’re alright?’

Brynda reached to shut off the commsCh but hesitated.

At that moment, Ben managed to speak. ‘I- I’m fine.’

‘Where are you?’ Solo asked, not quite hiding his agitation but points for trying. ‘I’ll come and get you. It’ll be alright.’

He shook his head, which didn’t carry over the comms.

‘Not doing that,’ Brynda said. She tried to gauge whether Ben wanted to end the conversation or not, but he wouldn’t look at her.

Solo stifled a sigh. ‘Just be safe, okay?’

Ben uttered something incoherent in a shaky voice.

‘We know, kid,’ Solo said. ‘Don’t do anything I would do or your Mom wouldn’t do.’

The waves of anguish crashing around made her turn off the comms. Ben just sat there, frozen with his face in his hands. She nudged him to break him out of his paralysis.

He swiped her hand aside and stormed out, solving the issue of the locked doors by crushing them and tossing them aside.

Dale came in from the other side of the corridor. ‘And he’s at it again. What was that about?’

‘Ill-advised interference.’ She rubbed her forehead. ‘You take over the ship. I’ll deal with our newest problem child.’

‘Well.’ Dale dramatically draped himself over the chair she’d just stood from. ‘Maybe, you should stop collecting them.’


	31. On the road again

‘I’m sorry,’ Ben stammered. His voice had matured. Of course, he wouldn’t sound the same as when he had been a little boy but the abrupt difference still hit. ‘I…, I.’

‘We know, kid,’ Han said. ‘Don’t do anything I would do or anything your mom wouldn’t do.’ A little joke from way back when. A way to say _Go do your thing, I’ll be here when you get back._

Next thing, the connection ended. Six years and a few sentences was all they’d managed. But he couldn’t have pushed himself to be angry about it even if he had wanted to.

‘Be patient,’ Leia whispered, leaning her full weight unto the table.

‘I know, that’s the tenth time you told me.’

‘I was talking to myself,’ she sighed. ‘I hope they know what they’re doing.’

‘That might be too much to ask.’ The senator stood in the doorway. To her, they owed the absence of eavesdroppers in the room. It so turned out if someone six and a half feet tall shouted at you to get out, most people would get out. Chewie usually got the same result but Han had always assumed it was because of the growling and the claws. ‘But they always somehow manage to get through when all is said and done, those two. And where they are taking him is one of the safest places I know.’

‘Safe?’ Leia raised an eyebrow.

‘A bit tumultuous at the moment.’ She nodded. ‘Put that many people together and there is bound to be disagreements, but no one taking refuge has ever been harmed there.’

‘That’s a start,’ Han said. ‘What are we going to do about Snoke?’

‘At this point.’ Leia rubbed her temples. ‘Staying alive. Fight back and hope we will one day win this war.’

Yes, strategically that was very much true. But that left the problem of someone messing with his child’s head. ‘or I will go and put a stop to it myself.’

‘And be turned into a pile of ash?’ The senator asked. ‘If you get that far, that is.’

‘He’s been messing with my son’s head for who knows how long,’ Han said. ‘I’m not doing nothing.’

‘And your son would be helped by you dying a fool’s death?’ She planted her hands on her hips. ‘There are people far more powerful than you who would’ve put an end to it if they could and they haven’t. Your mere presence will not end this war.’

Leia cleared her throat. ‘No one person can. Most certainly not at will. We have to bide our time, not throw ourselves at the problem and hope it works.’

‘Worked up until now,’ Han remarked.

‘Winning the rebellion took you four years,’ the senator lifted an eyebrow. ‘But I wanted to ask, any news from Takodana?’

‘Nothing good,’ Leia sighed. ‘Fulcrum thought the First Order would leave the planet at the first sign of resistance. It has no tactical value to them, but their increasing their efforts instead.’

‘Perhaps to set an example,’ the senator guessed. ‘Or perhaps Fulcrum’s antics have finally caught attention. Either way, it’s time I leave.’

‘Now, who’s throwing themselves at their problems?’ Leia chuckled weakly, shaking her head. ‘We need you here more than they do.’

‘Why?’ She asked. ‘You can contact my sources yourself now.’

Leia frowned. ‘Pip?’

The senator rolled her eyes. ‘It’s a funny nickname, but give me one reason you need me here.’

‘First, you need to keep your head in the game no matter where you are. Takodana is too personal for you,’ Leia said. ‘Second, sooner or later many lives aboard this ship might depend on you. Once Luke is here, that would not be an issue, but until then I must ask you to stay.’

‘What?’ Han blinked. He was missing something. ‘What kind of senator are you?’

‘The one from Lothal,’ she deadpanned. ‘but to answer your actual question, the closest thing to a Jedi you will find these days.’ She shifted her gaze along the walls. ‘If this ship was blown in half, I might be able to keep it together for a little while.’

‘And now you’ve answered your own question, dear,’ Leia said. ‘We need you.’

Han pinched the bridge of his nose, taking in the load of new information. ‘What happened to Maz? Why are they attacking an empty planet? There was one building and they turned it into rubble.’

‘Maz is fighting alongside what remains of her patrons,’ the senator said. ‘Fulcrum, you know the code name from the rebellion, and now another bears it. This person and the warriors following her went to free the planet. I fear her scare tactics may have finally drawn the attention she had intended, but with inopportune timing. The First Order locked down the planet and they can’t leave, but we need them back in the fight.’

‘Who is this Fulcrum and why is she so important?’ Han asked.

‘Let’s put it this way, if neither your brother-in-law or your son is going to rejoin the battle, she’s our next best bet,’ the senator looked down. ‘Their numbers are small and they’ve kept to smaller targets, but if Fulcrum and her people join forces with the rebellion, that might make the difference.’

‘I’ll go then,’ Han said. ‘I owe Maz one. A lot of ones actually and it won’t be the first time I freed a planet.’

‘There’s already someone there much more experienced than you.’

‘I got the feeling you don’t like me,’ Han remarked.

‘And Han has unique… skills,’ Leia said. ‘He works outside of the rulebook better than anyone, mostly because he never held a rulebook. That might be what they need.’

‘They have unconventional means aplenty over there already,’ the senator said. ‘But I’m no general. I can only advise. I will not object if this is your decision, but I must warn you might only get in the way.’

Leia smiled. ‘Why don’t you go and see if your messenger has deemed us worthy of his presence?’

‘You can do that yourself.’ The senator shook her head but left.

‘Funny girl,’ Han noted

‘It hit a sore spot,’ Leia said. ‘She’s young, but her heart is in the right place. Don’t take it personally. But tell me, what did you think of Poe’s performance today?’

‘Dumb, reckless, rash, dangerous, could’ve gotten a bunch of people killed,’ Han listed.

‘He was too focussed on winning the battle, not the war,’ Leia said. ‘We don’t fight to win. We fight to build a new peace.’

‘I’m an old guy,’ Han said. ‘If anyone has to throw themselves at problems, let it be the old people. The young people can go and build. That’s too tiring work for me’

‘Simple logic,’ Leia did that _endearing idiot_ smile. ‘Sometimes it works. Come on, we need to ask Finn.’

‘Ask Finn what?’

‘To go with you, of course,’ Leia said. ‘You’re not going alone, Chewie isn’t here and I don’t know anyone else who would be able work with you.’

‘Uh, Lando?’

‘I don’t know where he is,’ Leia said. ‘And Finn knows the First Order from the inside out.’

‘I can go alone,’ he said. ‘Not an issue.’

‘No, you’re not going alone,’ Leia said.

‘Fine,’ he grumbled. Big Deal would be the least annoying person in here and someone needed to keep an eye on that kid.

 

* * *

 

The last component of the exoskeleton clicked into place, encasing the now useless arm. Still, the residual damage and scar tissue on both the inside and outside of the joint would block full movement. Everything below the shoulder was permanently paralysed. Nothing could’ve reconnected the cauterised nerves.

There was never a clear solution to cases like this, but normally Steela would’ve advised to remove the arm and replace it with a prosthetic. The function would be restored and the pain would be minimalised. However, if this was how she might keep this girl off the battlefield for a while, so be it. For her own sake and for those who’d cross her path.

It was hard to define Maura’s mental instability since a nearly severed arm would have most people screaming mad. Yet, Steela didn’t have a single doubt this girl would be removed from active duty in most organisations, military or otherwise. But the First Order liked their soldiers at least slightly insane. Snoke seemed to be continuing his business of utilizingunstablee, sentient superweapons.

Anakin was again chattering away, telling the knight all about how prosthetics worked the same as natural limbs once you get used to them.

Maura Ren stared blankly ahead. She hadn’t reacted to anything the entire procedure. She might as well have been a practice dummy. ‘I know who you are. What do you want?’

Steela did her best to fake the unease of seeing someone talking to thin air and backed away. Not reacting at all would be suspicious enough, although the girl might not have noticed.

‘Nothing,’ Anakin shrugged. For some reaso,n he emulated body language although he was no more than an incorporeal concentration of Force energy. ‘I’m dead. What could I possibly want?’

‘I tried to kill one of your own blood. We both know what happened to the last one who tried that,’ she said. ‘If this is some convoluted plot of revenge, please spare us both the trouble.’

‘You tried and you failed. And you will carry the reminder for the rest of your life. I’ve got nothing to add to that,’ he said. ‘You could say it’s interest- or rather, curiosity that brings me here. We have much in common. I once walked the path you stand at the beginning of. I’d advise you to turn around, but I know you won’t. So I’m curious, where will it take you?’

‘That’s a plot on its own,’ the girl noted.

‘It’s not a plot if I don’t do anything,’ he said.

‘Watch then,’ she said, taking a step towards him. ‘Watch someone do it right. I will never forget why I fell. The dark side will not control me.’

‘It already does,’ he said. ‘And make no mistake; it comes from within.’

 

* * *

 

‘Are we there yet?’ Rey walked into the cockpit. An infinite body of glittering blue water spread out under the Falcon.

‘Yeah, we had to make a small detour though,’ Chewie said. ‘Some fireworks got in the way.’

‘Fireworks?’

‘Never mind,’ he snickered. ‘The map wasn’t more specific than _on this planet_. So I went to the only island the scanners said had buildings. Luke likes having roofs.’

‘I can imagine,’ Rey said.

‘It’s better if I stay on the Falcon at first,’ Chewie added. ‘I’m not sure he wants to see me.’

‘Why not?’

‘Who knows why he’s all the way out here in the first place.’ He shrugged. ‘Go wait by the ramp, we’re landing in a minute.’

Rey nodded and went to the exit. Puddles had formed all over the corridor floor. She knew snow was water frozen high in the atmosphere and would revert back when exceeding freezing temperatures, but seeing it happen was still weird. To see what would happen, she stomped in a puddle. The water sprayed up the wall. She should probably clean that before returning it to Han. Although he might not notice the difference.

The ramp opened up to reveal a scenery very much like Takodana. Everywhere she looked were fields of grass, unbelievably blue water, and moss growing in cracks in the hillsides. It had something familiar in a way Takodana wasn’t.

She reached the buildings Chewie had mentioned. Or rather huts. Rocks were randomly stacked on top of each other to form the walls. Even on Jakku, she had never seen anything so ancient.

She would’ve sworn she sensed something sentient watching her, but if isomeone was there, they were well-hidden. At the end of the path running through the tiny village and far past, up to the mountainside, seemingly endless stairs brought her to the top.

A cloaked figure stood at the cliff, unbothered by her arrival. Not until she reached him, did he turn to see her. An old man wearing cloaks. Something about him resembled Leia.

‘Master Skywalker?’

He pulled back his hood but did not speak. Rey took the lightsaber- his lightsaber- from her belt and held it out for him to take. A few moments passed, and another few. She didn’t think she needed to clarify her intention, but this was taking too long to be solemn reflection.

Finally, he took the lightsaber and held it at eye level. She expected him to ignite it, to see whether it was still intact. Or maybe put it away under his cloak.

Instead he chugged it over his shoulder and off the cliff. Before she could manage words, he walked away.

* * *

 

‘Leave me alone,' Ben snapped. He had walked into a random room and sat down hidden from sight. But apparently, that did not deter persistent ghosts.

‘You called me here,’ Grandfather said, crouching down as if he were talking to a small child.

‘I did not.’

‘Perhaps not consciously.’ He nodded. ‘But you wanted me here or I would not be here. Tell me what’s wrong.’

‘As if you don’t know,’ Ben said. ‘Or did you finally stop spying at me?’

‘I’ve got a general idea of what happened,’ he admitted. ‘Come on, get up. There’s no need to hide yourself away like this.’

Against his will, Ben’s eyes began burning. ‘Go away!’

‘Don’t push people away like that,’ he said. ‘And if you truly didn’t wish to see me, you wouldn’t be able to. You have much to learn about yourself. What are you afraid of?’

‘What?’

‘This anger you feel comes from fear,’ he said. ‘What are you afraid of?’

‘Fear, uh?’ Ben scoffed. ‘Because fear is dangerous, isn’t it? A path to the dark side. It makes you weak, or strong, or a monster. I’ve heard it all, or do you have anything to add to it?’

‘Fear is natural.’ Grandfather raised an eyebrow. ‘Denying it is idiotic and expecting others not to feel it when they should even more so. It is what lets you know when things have to change. Letting it fester is what’s dangerous. Heard that one before?’

He turned away. ‘Oh, that’s why Luke tried to kill me. He was afraid of me for too long.’

‘Perhaps so,’ he said in a low voice.

‘I was a child,’ Ben said. ‘I never had a damn choice in any of it.’

‘I didn’t say he was right,’ Grandfather sighed. ‘But it might be true and sometimes the truth about those who’ve harmed us is the hardest to accept. But we’re not about Luke, we’re talking about you. Fear has to be understood before it can be resolved. What are you afraid of?’

Ben laughed. The alternative might have been crying. ‘Oh, I don’t know. Not being able to sleep? Being hunted down. The people I trust keep trying to kill me? My own parents thinking I’m a monster? I could never stop any of it. A monster will always be a monster no matter what it does.’

‘And that’s what you’re afraid of, being a monster?’ He asked. ‘I know all about monsters and you’re not one of them. You are not what others decide you are and no one can make you what you are not. In the end, we only have to answer to ourselves.’

‘What happened to Maura,’ he breathed in. ‘That was my fault. Luke tried to kill me because he feared me and he was right. My parents sent me away because I was dangerous and they were right.’

‘None of their actions was your fault. They made their choice for reasons only they can explain,’ he said. ‘You cannot make them what they aren’t either and you cannot know what made them do what they did.’

‘Or they were right. All this power and it’s only good for destruction,’ he said, still laughing to avoid the alternative. ‘I shouldn’t have stopped Maura’s blade. Better yet, I shouldn’t have stopped Luke’s. The universe would’ve-.’

The rest was cut off when Grandfather pulled him against his shoulder. ‘Few could’ve gone through what you went through and not lose their minds. Anyone who claims they would’ve done better is full of banthashit.’

You said shit,’ Ben joked in a last-ditch effort. It didn’t work.

‘I did,’ he chuckled. ‘It’s alright.’

‘Sorry about ignoring you.’

‘That’s alright too.’

A bang echoed through the storage room. ‘What the actual fuck?’

 

* * *

 

Where had everything gone so wrong?

It had never even been a choice. He hadn’t even been on the planet when the temple had burned and had returned to find a bunch of masked people poking around the ashes, demanding to know where Luke Skywalker was. Had Tia and Rowan not returned when they did, he would’ve been killed. Had Ben not intervened when he did, all three of them would’ve been dead. Next thing he knew, Shyam had been one of the masked people demanding to know where Luke Skywalker was. All three of them had taken the place of the knights fallen to their blades during that altercation Now, years later, he finally realised he had ended up in a nest of treachery

Why had Luke done it? Why had he tried to kill one of them? He had been the one to start it all.

And Maura, there was nothing left of her now. Her face was once again uncovered, the scars glistering against her skin and her dark golden curls tumbling freely over her shoulders. She looked more like he remembered her than she ever had in the past six years. Still, he barely recognised her.

The glow of her eyes was the only thing he really saw, that and the parts of the exoskeleton poking out from under her sleeve. Could he have helped her?

No, the choice had never been his. He hadn’t caused any of this. Luke had. And Snoke, he had done most of the work.

For once, Shyam was glad of Ben’s advice to keep his mask on when facing Snoke or his murderous glare might have earned him a trial all of his own. _So that’s what that feels like, having to bite your tongue._

Luckily, both Snoke and Maura were too busy bullying Hux to pay attention to him. Screwing up that fake-ass trial, losing three important prisoners, his personal assistant turning out to be a traitor, nearly getting assassinated by said traitor, his superweapon failing and now losing a battle in such a magnificent way. The poor general was the perfect scapegoat.

‘I take responsibility for my failures,’ Hux made an attempt to defend himself. ‘However, the fault was not mine alone. I believe the knights were far more taken in by the traitor and the spy’

Shyam didn’t bother defending himself. Maura would do that amply, and possibly violently. Something told him her Force-choking Hux had been only partially because of the fever.

‘Kylo was our leader, not supporting him would’ve proven our loyalty weak,’ Maura said. ‘But he has betrayed us instead. He is now our enemy. As for the spy. Yes, I missed the fact my pastime had an agenda of its own. It is hard to notice such things.’

‘That little mistake almost cost me my life,’ Hux bit.

‘That was amusing,’ she nodded. ‘Having your own assassination attempt returned to you. Does that happen often?’

‘I never…,’ Hux frowned. ‘You knew.’

‘That sentimental thing left a note,’ Maura shrugged. ‘Your own bomb planted in your chambers. Must be embarrassing.’

‘You knew,’ Hux repeated. ‘And you did not warn me?’

‘It was hardly worth my time,’ she said.

Snoke smiled at the jab. The message was clear. Hux was no longer under his protection. ‘Indeed. Your time should be better spent. You know your next mission.’

‘The Sith,’ Maura frowned. The irony almost required his own place to stand. ‘I do not believe she would be worth my time either. A petty criminal, with rare powers, certainly. But I should aim at the sources, not the branches.’

‘Dear child,’ Snoke did an impression of concern. ‘It are people like this Sith who make way for the source to spread. Slavers would be nowhere without those willing to deal with them and we know this Sith does. And they have a group of defenceless civilians in their power.’

That was all awfully convenient, but Maura seemed to believe the obvious lie. Not to mention Snoke had ordered them to shoot on those defenceless civilians a few days ago. ‘Very well then. To whom will I be leaving your protection? Surely not to the general?’

‘No,’ Snoke said. ‘Your fellow knight, Waron Ren will arrive shortly.’

More surprises. Rowan- none of the knights took the shuffling of his name seriously- was more likely to be found inside an active volcano than on the _Supremacy._ In fact, it was more likely Luke would accidentally wander aboard than Rowan would board purposely. Shyam had actually expected he had silently defected by now.

Maura blinked. ‘Of course. We shall leave as soon as he arrives.’

‘One more thing, child,’ Snoke said. ‘If you are to encounter your former master…’

‘I will end him myself,’ she said.

 

* * *

 

Finn looked around. He had never been in this particular place before. It looked like a medbay and probably was a medbay. If nothing else, the meddroid poking at his head was a tell-tale sign. At least he was somewhere where they wanted his injuries treated.

He recalled making his way off the Falcon, but nothing afterwards. His head had stopped hurting, but his knee still stung. From being kicked. _Oh yeah. I wonder how that ended._

Finn? You’re awake?’ Poe stood in the door opening, or rather half-leaned against the doorposts with his helmet propped under his arm and his hair tousled in every possible direction. BB-8 came racing around the corner towards Finn’s bed and released a sequence of beeps and pings.

‘One day, buddy,’ Finn said. ‘One day I’ll understand what that means, but not today.’

‘Yes, BB-8. His brain is repaired,’ Poe grinned, approaching as well but calmer. ‘You were completely out of it.’

‘I don’t even remember how I got here,’ Finn said. ‘Where’s Rey?’

Poe hesitated, his mouth slightly open. ‘Last I saw her, with the general. But that’s hours ago. I was kind of busy holding off an attack. Covering the evacuation, you know, the usual.’

BB-8 spun his head from one of them to the other, swaying while he did. Finn nudged him. ‘Yeah, yeah. We aren’t forgetting you.’

He responded by dropping his head all the way to the floor and squeaking. Poe grimaced. ‘He might have fried a chip during all the excitement. Mind watching him while I get some tools?’

‘Yeah, you do that.’ Finn watched how BB-8 struggled and failed to bring his head back up, all the while beeping a sad tune, which under the circumstances was reasonable.

By the time Poe came back, BB-8 was rolling slowly, but uncontrollably across the medbay. Poe stopped and stared. ‘What happened?’

‘It got worse,’ Finn said.

‘Hold him still.’

‘How?’ Finn tried to grab hold of the rolling ball but he was way too heavy.

Poe somehow managed it and nodded at the tool bag he had dropped on the way in. ‘The pilux driver, quick.’

‘The what now?’

‘Pilux driver, come on.’

The last time he had found it by utter coincidence. He doubted he had remembered it right but Poe didn’t complain about the tool he was handed. After a few seconds, a hatch on BB-8’s belly opened and Poe took out a smoking chip.

‘That does not look good,’ Finn noted.

‘You think?’ Poe frowned in concentration while putting in another, undamaged chip. ‘That’s his coordination hard drive.’

‘Makes sense.’

The exact second the hatch closed, BB-8 zooved away and rolled circles around them. His head where it was supposed to be this time.

They both laughed at the antics. Finn said. ‘I think he’s feeling better, but I don’t think this is that kind of repair shop.’

‘Meh, I don’t think anyone minds,’ Poe said. ‘I didn’t get grease anywhere this time.’

‘That’s what matters,’ Finn joked. ‘The evacuation went well, I guess. With us not being dead.’

‘Yeah, great. A dreadnought blew up.’ He crossed his arms and blew out some air. ‘Though I had it under control.’

‘Had what under control?’

‘Never mind. Some people got in the way and almost blew the entire mission,’ he said. ‘You aren’t supposed to hack the commander’s commlink in the middle of the battle. If she hadn’t distracted me…’

‘Many lives would’ve been lost, pointlessly.’ The general entered, Han right behind her.

‘Then we would’ve had a dreadnought to worry about too’ Poe said. ‘Or you know what, I’ll just crawl into that thing next time.’

Finn had missed a lot, it seemed. But something told him he would get all the details within the next minutes.

The general shook her head. ‘We’ll talk about this later. Just know that was a horrible plan.’

‘So is _crawling into that thing_ ,’ Poe added.

The general ignored him. ‘Finn. Are you feeling better?’

He straightened himself. ‘Yes, Ma’am.’

‘He’s making sense again,’ Han remarked.

Finn shot him a look. ‘Where’s Rey?’

‘With Chewie, on the Falcon,’ Han paused. ‘Don’t worry, they’re fine. They’re on their way to find Luke.’

‘Fine?’ Finn echoed. ‘Rey’s doing what now? She just came back from being captured. I have to go after her.’

‘And give away their position, Big Deal?’ Han asked. ‘Also, they took the only map. And did I mention Chewie was with her? If I didn’t think they could do it, I would’ve gone with them.’

‘A wookie body guard does sound good,’ Poe said, jutting out his lower lip for some reason.

‘But how is she going to find her way back to us?’ Finn asked.

The general cleared her throat and pulled up her sleeve to reveal a blinking light. ‘With this.’

‘A binary beacon,’ Finn said.

‘Yes,’ she nodded. ‘There’s no need to worry about her. And if I didn’t think she could do it, I wouldn’t have sent her. And for you, if you agree, I have another mission.’

‘Completely optional,’ Han interrupted. ‘Only if you want to and even then it’s not really necessary.’

The general silenced him with a single glance. ‘Takodana is under siege. Maz, her people, and those who came to their aid are trapped. Han has agreed to go and help and you are the only one he agreed to bring along.’

‘The only one, eh?’ Finn grinned.

‘Th least annoying,’ Han countered. ‘I would’ve preferred to bring Chewie.’

Finn scoffed.

‘Don’t “tssk” me,’ Han said.

‘I can go,’ Poe offered.

Han muttered something that sounded awfully much like ‘Laserbrain’. _Takes one to know one, Solo._

‘No, you will stay here.’ The general sighed and turned back to Finn. ‘I’m afraid we don’t have much time. Do you accept this mission?’

They definitely owed Maz and someone had to keep an eye on that old guy. Shards from right before he passed out flashed in his mind. ‘Oh, when I was back on the Falcon, at the guns. You’ll never believe who-.’

‘Yeah, we know.’ Han’s face shifted to closely resemble a galactic storm. Better not to ask. ‘You told us. Now, you’re in or not?’

To be exact, it had been their fault Maz’s planet had been attacked in the first place. Against all common sense, he said. ‘I’m in.’

 

* * *

 

Solo had left to prepare a ship and Finn to get something to eat. Poe wasn’t so lucky. Leia stopped him before he could follow. She announced. ‘You’re demoted.’

‘What, why?’ His mouth fell open. ‘We almost took down a dreadnought.’

‘And at what cost?’

‘If you start an attack, you follow it through,’ he said.

‘Oh, get your head out of your cockpit,’ Leia said. ‘There are things you can’t solve by jumping into an X-wing and blowing something up. I need you to learn that.’

‘Okay, I’ll just crawl into that thing next time,’ Poe said.

‘Oh, stop that,’ Leia said. ‘I’ve got some things to say about that stunt too, but not nearly as much as about yours. How many would’ve died?’

‘Everyone one of them are heroes, everyone single one on that mission,’ Poe argued. ‘Everyone of them is willing to lay down their life to win this war.’

‘They would’ve been dead heroes, Poe,’ Leia said. ‘Is that what you are fighting for?’

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've worked in an explanation to tie the comics into this story because I plan to address it at some point in the story, but I started way before the comic was published. So far, it was about three sentences explaining why some of the knights were Luke's students when the knights of Ren in the comic( and movie) aren't.


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